Vermilion Energy (TSE:VET) Trading Down 6.5% – Time to Sell?

Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSE:VET) (NYSE:VET) fell 6.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$8.04 and last traded at C$8.09. 1,042,573 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 45% from the average session volume of 720,085 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$8.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VET. ATB Capital reduced their target price on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$20.00 to C$17.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 30th. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$18.00 to C$17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Vermilion Energy from C$16.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Desjardins cut Vermilion Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from C$19.00 to C$14.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Vermilion Energy from C$17.00 to C$16.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of C$17.06.

Vermilion Energy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.61. The company has a market cap of C$1.20 billion, a PE ratio of -1.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.02 and a beta of 2.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$12.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$13.14.

Vermilion Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.74%. This is a positive change from Vermilion Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. Vermilion Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -9.03%.

About Vermilion Energy

Vermilion Energy Inc is an international oil and gas producing company. It engages in full-cycle exploration and production programs that focus on the acquisition, exploration, development, and optimization of producing properties in North America, Europe, and Australia. The majority of Vermilion’s revenue has derived from the production and sale of petroleum and natural gas.