Barclays PLC Buys 100,279 Shares of Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN)

Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN) by 313.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 132,245 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100,279 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Veren were worth $813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ninepoint Partners LP bought a new stake in Veren in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $125,920,000. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new position in shares of Veren during the 2nd quarter worth $105,665,000. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Veren during the 3rd quarter worth $65,155,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Veren during the 2nd quarter worth $79,409,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Veren during the 2nd quarter worth $74,306,000. Institutional investors own 49.37% of the company’s stock.

Veren Stock Up 1.5 %

VRN opened at $5.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.88. Veren Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $4.39 and a fifty-two week high of $9.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $5.14 and its 200 day moving average is $6.25. The stock has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 2.13.

Veren Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Sunday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.085 per share. This is a boost from Veren’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $0.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.17%. Veren’s payout ratio is 22.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on VRN shares. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Veren from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Raymond James started coverage on shares of Veren in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a “strong-buy” rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock.

Veren Company Profile

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.