Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR) Short Interest Up 25.7% in March

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. Based on an average daily volume of 1,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.9 days. Approximately 6.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Matador Resources Stock Performance

Shares of MTDR opened at $52.25 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $54.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.93 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 stock has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.32 and a beta of 3.17.

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

Matador Resources Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a dividend of $0.3125 per share. This is a boost from Matador Resources’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. Matador Resources’s payout ratio is 17.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Matador Resources from $84.00 to $68.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Matador Resources from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Matador Resources from $77.00 to $67.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Matador Resources in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Van H. Singleton II acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $53.21 per share, with a total value of $106,420.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 289,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,384,873.35. This trade represents a 0.70 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Robert T. Macalik bought 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $47.98 per share, for a total transaction of $57,576.00. Following the purchase, the chief accounting officer now owns 31,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,487,380. This represents a 4.03 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 21,350 shares of company stock worth $1,100,769. 6.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Matador Resources

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MTDR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Matador Resources in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Matador Resources by 53.8% in the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 500 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Matador Resources by 108.5% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 492 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Matador Resources by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 510 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Matador Resources by 359.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 579 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.98% of the company’s stock.

About Matador Resources

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.