Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Diversified Energy (NYSE:DEC) Stock

Diversified Energy (NYSE:DEC) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Citigroup from $15.00 to $17.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 16.04% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on DEC. Weiss Ratings upgraded Diversified Energy from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen cut Diversified Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Mizuho upped their price target on Diversified Energy from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Johnson Rice upgraded shares of Diversified Energy from an “accumulate” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $19.00 to $23.00 in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, William Blair began coverage on shares of Diversified Energy in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $21.00.

Diversified Energy Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of DEC traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $14.65. The stock had a trading volume of 347,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 722,406. The company has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.99. Diversified Energy has a 1-year low of $10.08 and a 1-year high of $16.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Diversified Energy (NYSE:DEC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Diversified Energy will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Diversified Energy

In related news, Director Randall S. Wade sold 2,100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.28, for a total value of $27,888,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,501,585 shares in the company, valued at $99,621,048.80. This trade represents a 21.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Diversified Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Diversified Energy by 6.9% in the second quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 287,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,214,000 after buying an additional 18,572 shares in the last quarter. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Diversified Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,084,000. Tejara Capital Ltd raised its holdings in Diversified Energy by 1,903.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tejara Capital Ltd now owns 1,905,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,951,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810,214 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Diversified Energy in the second quarter valued at $2,377,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Diversified Energy by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 897,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,329,000 after acquiring an additional 39,334 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.51% of the company’s stock.

About Diversified Energy

Diversified Energy Company PLC (NYSE: DEC) is an independent oil and natural gas producer focused on the acquisition and optimization of legacy onshore assets in the United States. The company’s portfolio spans thousands of producing wells and extensive leasehold positions across core regions such as Appalachia, the Permian Basin and the Mid-Continent. By targeting mature properties, Diversified Energy seeks to enhance long-term recovery through operational efficiencies and capital discipline.

The company’s business model centers on fee-based infrastructure and midstream services that provide stable and predictable cash flows.