Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Trading Up 3.4% – Time to Buy?

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) shares shot up 3.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $8.32 and last traded at $8.30. 524,071 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 1,177,826 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on VET. Desjardins downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th. Finally, Atb Cap Markets cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Vermilion Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -2.21 and a beta of 1.91. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.45.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.0903 per share. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -163.64%.

Institutional Trading of Vermilion Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VET. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 345.4% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 592,839 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,790,000 after buying an additional 459,746 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy in the third quarter valued at about $1,947,000. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy during the third quarter worth about $555,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp raised its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 719,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,764,000 after purchasing an additional 81,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 72.8% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,040,076 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,162,000 after buying an additional 438,200 shares in the last quarter. 31.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

Vermilion Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas. The company has properties in West Central Alberta, southeast Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and West Pembina in Canada; Wyoming in the United States; southwest Bordeaux and Paris Basin in France; the Netherlands; Germany; Ireland; Croatia; Slovakia; and Australia.