1,513,756 Shares in Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN) Acquired by Wexford Capital LP

Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,513,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,322,000. Veren makes up about 2.2% of Wexford Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Wexford Capital LP owned approximately 0.25% of Veren as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Veren in the 3rd quarter worth about $770,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Veren by 75.6% during the third quarter. Invenomic Capital Management LP now owns 1,539,359 shares of the company's stock worth $9,467,000 after buying an additional 662,628 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Veren in the 3rd quarter valued at $65,155,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Veren by 139.4% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 111,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $685,000 after buying an additional 64,707 shares during the period. Finally, PDT Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Veren by 129.6% in the 3rd quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 795,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,891,000 after acquiring an additional 448,826 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.37% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on VRN. Raymond James started coverage on Veren in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a "strong-buy" rating and a $13.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Veren from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

Veren Stock Performance

Shares of VRN stock traded down $0.18 on Friday, reaching $4.99. The stock had a trading volume of 11,978,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,615,684. Veren Inc. has a 12 month low of $4.90 and a 12 month high of $9.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 2.16. The firm's 50-day moving average is $5.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Veren Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.085 per share. This is an increase from Veren's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.81%. Veren's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.29%.

About Veren

Veren Inc explores, develops, and produces oil and gas properties in Canada and the United States. The company focuses on crude oil, tight oil, natural gas liquids, shale gas, and natural gas reserves. Its properties are located in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba; and the states of North Dakota.