Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) Stock Gets Price Target Cut from Wells Fargo & Company

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG – Free Report) had its target price reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $263.00 to $244.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the oil and natural gas company’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on FANG. Capital One Financial increased their target price on shares of Diamondback Energy from $272.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $259.00 price target on shares of Diamondback Energy in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $240.00 price target (up from $221.00) on shares of Diamondback Energy in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Diamondback Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $243.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $228.29.

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Diamondback Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of FANG stock traded down $0.62 on Wednesday, hitting $178.96. The company had a trading volume of 1,636,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,034,797. The firm has a market cap of $50.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.48 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $195.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.47. Diamondback Energy has a twelve month low of $139.41 and a twelve month high of $216.90.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The oil and natural gas company reported $5.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.72 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.60 billion. Diamondback Energy had a return on equity of 11.99% and a net margin of 11.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 38.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.08 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Diamondback Energy will post 22.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $1.18 per share. This represents a $4.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 12th. This is a positive change from Diamondback Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Diamondback Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.19%.

Insider Activity at Diamondback Energy

In other Diamondback Energy news, Director Travis D. Stice sold 75,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.31, for a total value of $15,323,250.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 49,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,159,723.37. The trade was a 60.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles Meloy sold 33,333 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.74, for a total value of $6,124,605.42. Following the transaction, the director owned 759,864 shares in the company, valued at $139,617,411.36. The trade was a 4.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Diamondback Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 5,217 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $959,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 21.0% in the second quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 294 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 2.9% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its stake in Diamondback Energy by 4.9% in the second quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 1,251 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its stake in Diamondback Energy by 1.5% in the second quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 4,979 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Key Diamondback Energy News

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

Diamondback Energy Company Profile

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Diamondback Energy is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development and production of energy resources in the Permian Basin, primarily in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Its operations include exploration, drilling and production.

The company produces crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its activities are concentrated in the Midland and Delaware Basin regions, where it develops oil and gas properties and related reserves.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, Diamondback has expanded its Permian Basin operations over time, including through acquisitions.

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Analyst Recommendations for Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG)

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