Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN) Short Interest Up 39.6% in February

Veren Inc. (NYSE:VRN) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 16,240,000 shares, a growth of 39.6% from the February 13th total of 11,630,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 17,170,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.9 days. Currently, 2.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VRN. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in Veren by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 322,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,657,000 after buying an additional 151,167 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Veren by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 385,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,983,000 after acquiring an additional 98,920 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its holdings in Veren by 33.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 13,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Veren during the fourth quarter worth approximately $295,000. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in shares of Veren by 44.7% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 10,736 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 3,319 shares during the last quarter. 49.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Veren Trading Up 3.7 %

Shares of VRN stock opened at $6.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 2.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $5.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.57. Veren has a twelve month low of $4.40 and a twelve month high of $9.02.

Veren Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Saturday, March 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.0797 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.04%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Veren’s payout ratio is 100.00%.

About Veren

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.