Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,090,000 shares, an increase of 20.6% from the March 15th total of 13,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 13.1 days. Approximately 10.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Vermilion Energy Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE VET opened at $6.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $7.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Vermilion Energy has a 12-month low of $5.14 and a 12-month high of $12.68. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.74 and a beta of 1.43.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.0903 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.54%. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -163.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vermilion Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 586,529 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,514,000 after acquiring an additional 55,443 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $57,100,000 after buying an additional 86,425 shares during the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in Vermilion Energy by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 1,109,501 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,429,000 after buying an additional 229,900 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Vermilion Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $761,000. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vermilion Energy by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 719,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after acquiring an additional 81,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VET has been the subject of a number of research reports. Desjardins downgraded Vermilion Energy from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Atb Cap Markets lowered Vermilion Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 15th.

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.