CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CVI) Given Average Recommendation of "Strong Sell" by Brokerages

CVR Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CVI - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Strong Sell" from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and two have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $23.00.

CVI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of CVR Energy from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of CVR Energy from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CVR Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

CVR Energy Price Performance

CVR Energy stock traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $17.72. 1,421,946 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 994,819. The company's fifty day moving average is $19.38 and its 200-day moving average is $20.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.66. CVR Energy has a 52 week low of $15.60 and a 52 week high of $38.07. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 295.38 and a beta of 1.57.

CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.12). CVR Energy had a negative return on equity of 5.12% and a net margin of 0.09%. The business had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.85 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CVR Energy will post -0.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CVR Energy

In related news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn acquired 878,212 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.25 per share, with a total value of $16,027,369.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 67,570,593 shares in the company, valued at $1,233,163,322.25. This trade represents a 1.32 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.01% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CVR Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CVR Energy by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,135,315 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $77,496,000 after acquiring an additional 154,125 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in CVR Energy by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,181,295 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $40,876,000 after purchasing an additional 238,081 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in CVR Energy by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,075,058 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $47,789,000 after buying an additional 317,475 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of CVR Energy by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 783,079 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,675,000 after buying an additional 143,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of CVR Energy by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 776,313 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,548,000 after buying an additional 207,872 shares during the period. 98.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CVR Energy Company Profile

CVR Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the petroleum refining and marketing, and nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing activities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Petroleum and Nitrogen Fertilizer. The Petroleum segment refines and supplies gasoline, crude oil, distillate, diesel fuel, and other refined products.