Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Vermilion Energy Inc. (NYSE:VET - Get Free Report) TSE: VET saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,090,000 shares, a growth of 20.6% from the March 15th total of 13,340,000 shares. Approximately 10.5% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,230,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 13.1 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Atb Cap Markets downgraded shares of Vermilion Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Desjardins lowered Vermilion Energy from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Vermilion Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 15th.

Vermilion Energy Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VET opened at $6.52 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of -1.74 and a beta of 1.43. The company's 50 day moving average is $7.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.02. Vermilion Energy has a 52 week low of $5.14 and a 52 week high of $12.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.0903 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Vermilion Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.54%. Vermilion Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -163.64%.

Institutional Trading of Vermilion Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vermilion Energy by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 7,293,449 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $68,608,000 after purchasing an additional 921,230 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,066,063 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $57,100,000 after buying an additional 86,425 shares during the last quarter. LM Asset IM Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vermilion Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $18,806,000. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Vermilion Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,281,074 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $12,042,000 after purchasing an additional 6,765 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of Vermilion Energy by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,181,076 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $11,102,000 after purchasing an additional 141,000 shares in the last quarter. 31.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vermilion Energy Company Profile

Vermilion Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas. The company has properties in West Central Alberta, southeast Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and West Pembina in Canada; Wyoming in the United States; southwest Bordeaux and Paris Basin in France; the Netherlands; Germany; Ireland; Croatia; Slovakia; and Australia.

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