Vermilion Energy (TSE:VET) Trading 20.3% Higher – Still a Buy?

Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET) shot up 20.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as C$9.41 and last traded at C$9.29. 2,511,157 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 228% from the average session volume of 764,972 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$7.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VET. Desjardins lowered Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from C$19.00 to C$14.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. ATB Capital cut their target price on Vermilion Energy from C$20.00 to C$17.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Atb Cap Markets lowered Vermilion Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. CIBC dropped their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$17.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$16.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of C$16.75.

Vermilion Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of C$1.31 billion, a PE ratio of -1.59, a PEG ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 2.60. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is C$11.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$12.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.61.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is an increase from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -9.03%.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is an international oil and gas producing company. It engages in full-cycle exploration and production programs that focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and optimization of producing properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The majority of Vermilion’s revenue has derived from the production and sale of petroleum and natural gas.