Vermilion Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:VET)

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 3,211 call options on the company. This is an increase of 209% compared to the average volume of 1,039 call options.

Vermilion Energy Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of VET stock traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $9.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 736,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,484,022. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Vermilion Energy has a one year low of $5.14 and a one year high of $10.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.41 and a beta of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.05.

Vermilion Energy (NYSE:VET) (TSE:VET) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $337.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $373.83 million. Vermilion Energy had a negative return on equity of 1.90% and a negative net margin of 12.08%. Equities research analysts expect that Vermilion Energy will post 0.22 EPS for the current year.

Vermilion Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Vermilion Energy’s payout ratio is currently -33.64%.

Institutional Trading of Vermilion Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Vermilion Energy by 51.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,630,488 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $13,207,000 after acquiring an additional 553,281 shares in the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vermilion Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $382,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Vermilion Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 24.0% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in Vermilion Energy by 160.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 57,728 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 35,525 shares during the period. 31.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Zacks Research cut shares of Vermilion Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, TD Securities reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vermilion Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is a Canadian-based international oil and gas producer headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Established in 1994, the company focuses on the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas reserves through its wholly owned and joint venture assets. Vermilion’s upstream operations target a balance of oil and gas projects across various regions, with an emphasis on high-quality resource plays that can deliver stable cash flow and long-term reserves replacement.

Vermilion’s product portfolio includes light and medium crude oil, heavy oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs).