Truist Financial Upgrades Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) to “Strong-Buy”

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) was upgraded by stock analysts at Truist Financial to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on FANG. Citigroup cut their price target on Diamondback Energy from $180.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Diamondback Energy from $183.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho raised their target price on Diamondback Energy from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Scotiabank set a $175.00 target price on Diamondback Energy in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Diamondback Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.48.

Diamondback Energy Stock Up 2.8%

FANG stock opened at $197.06 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $55.43 billion, a PE ratio of 35.13 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $170.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.70. Diamondback Energy has a fifty-two week low of $114.00 and a fifty-two week high of $199.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and natural gas company reported $1.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.26). Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 8.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Diamondback Energy will post 15.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles Alvin Meloy sold 60,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.12, for a total transaction of $9,764,677.60. Following the sale, the director owned 982,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $158,220,806.72. The trade was a 5.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Steven E. West sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.35, for a total value of $1,130,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $844,561.40. This trade represents a 57.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,209,212 shares of company stock valued at $199,689,401. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Diamondback Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Diamondback Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Diamondback Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 245.1% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 176 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Diamondback Energy in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its position in Diamondback Energy by 264.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 186 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Diamondback Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Diamondback Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a Buy and a $222 price target, giving institutional validation and signaling ~double‑digit upside from current levels; analyst initiation often supports higher near‑term demand for shares. Diamondback Energy: Premier Permian…
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks noted that Diamondback outperformed the broader market on a day the market dipped — a sign that relative strength and investor preference for energy names is supporting the stock. Why the Market Dipped But Diamondback Energy (FANG) Gained Today
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: coverage highlighting higher crude (near $100/bbl) boosts the outlook for Permian pure‑plays like Diamondback, supporting revenue and free‑cash‑flow expectations. Energy‑themed analyst pieces are lifting sentiment across peers. 3 Stocks Positioned to Gain From Ongoing Elevation in Crude Price
• Positive Sentiment: Media mentions/roundups (including Goldman Sachs/industry pick coverage) are increasing visibility for energy names; inclusion in positive analyst roundups can attract flows from funds tracking analyst momentum. Goldman Sachs Top Energy Picks Have Big Upside and Pay Solid Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports show anomalous/zero values and NaN changes across several updates — this appears to be a data/reporting issue. At face value the data imply no meaningful short pressure (no days‑to‑cover), but the figures are inconsistent and should be treated cautiously until exchanges/registrars confirm. (Multiple short‑interest entries 3/23–3/24 — internal data feed.)

About Diamondback Energy

Diamondback Energy, Inc (NASDAQ: FANG) is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploration and production of unconventional resources in the Permian Basin. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company concentrates its operations in the core Midland and Delaware sub‑basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it pursues contiguous acreage positions to support repeatable drilling programs.

Diamondback’s activities span the upstream value chain, including leasehold acquisition, well planning, drilling, completion and production optimization.