Vermilion Energy (TSE:VET) Shares Down 13.1% on Analyst Downgrade

Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET)’s stock price traded down 13.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday after CIBC lowered their price target on the stock from C$17.00 to C$14.00. The company traded as low as C$7.83 and last traded at C$8.07. 1,189,197 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 55% from the average session volume of 769,693 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$9.29.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on VET. Desjardins cut Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from C$19.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Atb Cap Markets downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$18.00 to C$17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. National Bankshares lifted their target price on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$18.00 to C$19.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$16.00 to C$14.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vermilion Energy presently 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 P/E ratio of -1.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 2.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is C$11.42 and its 200-day 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. This is an increase from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.16%. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -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.