Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) Hits New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $6.70 and last traded at $6.70, with a volume of 109332 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $7.31.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on VET shares. Atb Cap Markets lowered Vermilion Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Desjardins cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th.

Vermilion Energy Stock Performance

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 business has a fifty day moving average of $8.54 and a 200-day moving average of $9.36. The company has a market cap of $988.55 million, a PE ratio of -1.71 and a beta of 1.91.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.0903 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.65%. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -163.64%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VET. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Vermilion Energy by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,293,449 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $68,608,000 after purchasing an additional 921,230 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vermilion Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,066,063 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $57,100,000 after buying an additional 86,425 shares in the last quarter. LM Asset IM Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $18,806,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,730,388 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $16,890,000 after acquiring an additional 45,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,281,074 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,042,000 after acquiring an additional 6,765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

About Vermilion Energy

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.