Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning,Zacks reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Viper Energy’s Q2 2028 earnings at $0.58 EPS, Q3 2028 earnings at $0.62 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.38 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on VNOM. Seaport Research Partners started coverage on Viper Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Viper Energy from $58.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Viper Energy in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Viper Energy from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Viper Energy from $58.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.93.

Viper Energy Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:VNOM opened at $41.07 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $43.01 and its 200 day moving average is $44.59. Viper Energy has a 12-month low of $35.10 and a 12-month high of $51.13. The stock has a market cap of $14.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 315.95 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 6.37, a current ratio of 6.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16.

Viper Energy (NASDAQ:VNOM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Viper Energy had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 3.43%. The company had revenue of $677.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $643.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 127.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Viper Energy will post 2.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Viper Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a yield of 281.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 13th. Viper Energy’s payout ratio is presently 1,169.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viper Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Viper Energy by 1,250.0% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 945 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viper Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $56,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Viper Energy by 31.2% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,354 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Viper Energy by 20.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,481 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Viper Energy during the first quarter valued at $199,000. 87.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Viper Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Viper Energy to a Strong Buy. The upgrade reflects growing optimism about the oil and gas producer’s earnings outlook and could support investor interest. Zacks Viper Energy upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several long-term earnings forecasts. Its estimates increased to $0.58 per share for the second quarter of 2028, $0.62 for the third quarter, and $2.38 for full-year 2028, from $0.57, $0.61, and $2.34, respectively. Zacks earnings forecast article
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays maintained its Buy rating on Viper Energy, reinforcing the constructive analyst view. Barclays Viper Energy rating article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-rating reports are inconsistent. While Zacks’ official release cites a Strong Buy, some syndicated research notes still list a Hold rating, which may limit the impact of the upgrade until broader analyst consensus changes. American Banking News Viper Energy upgrade article
• Neutral Sentiment: November 2 earnings will be the next major catalyst. Investors will look for results relative to the current full-year consensus estimate of $2.72 per share, as well as management commentary on oil and gas production and commodity prices. Viper Energy November 2 results article

About Viper Energy

Viper Energy, Inc (NASDAQ: VNOM) is an oil and gas company that owns and acquires mineral, royalty and overriding royalty interests in properties operated primarily by other exploration and production companies. Its interests provide exposure to production from wells without requiring Viper to fund most drilling and completion activities.

The company’s assets are concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, including the Midland and Delaware sub-basins. Viper’s interests are associated mainly with oil and natural gas development and generate revenue from its share of production, while its broad and diversified ownership position spans numerous wells and acreage holdings.

Viper Energy was established as Viper Energy Partners and became a publicly traded master limited partnership in 2014.