Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) Short Interest Update

Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,970,000 shares, an increase of 25.7% from the February 28th total of 6,340,000 shares. Currently, 6.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.9 days.

Matador Resources Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MTDR traded up $1.14 on Wednesday, reaching $52.25. 1,123,665 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,492,539. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Matador Resources has a 52 week low of $43.89 and a 52 week high of $71.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.32 and a beta of 3.17.

Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The energy company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.05). Matador Resources had a return on equity of 18.52% and a net margin of 25.26%. The firm had revenue of $970.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $967.10 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Matador Resources will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Matador Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.3125 dividend. This represents a $1.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. This is a boost from Matador Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Matador Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MTDR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Matador Resources in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Matador Resources from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $72.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $76.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Stephens lifted their price target on Matador Resources from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Matador Resources from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Matador Resources currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.79.

Insider Transactions at Matador Resources

In other news, Director Paul W. Harvey bought 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $55.20 per share, with a total value of $33,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 27,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,018.40. This trade represents a 2.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Van H. Singleton II purchased 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $53.21 per share, for a total transaction of $106,420.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 289,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,384,873.35. This trade represents a 0.70 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 21,350 shares of company stock worth $1,100,769 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 6.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Matador Resources

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Matador Resources by 262.0% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 1,517,308 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $85,364,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098,108 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 145.2% in the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,283,743 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $72,223,000 after purchasing an additional 760,122 shares in the last quarter. Webs Creek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Matador Resources in the fourth quarter worth $37,894,000. Yaupon Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 565.4% during the third quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 744,037 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $36,770,000 after purchasing an additional 632,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,698,606 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $151,824,000 after purchasing an additional 555,245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.98% of the company’s stock.

Matador Resources Company Profile

Matador Resources Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production; and Midstream. The company primarily holds interests in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas.