Insider Selling: Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) EVP Sells $781,281.51 in Stock

Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) EVP Matt Zmigrosky sold 4,101 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.51, for a total value of $781,281.51. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 56,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,743,239.92. This represents a 6.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Matt Zmigrosky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, March 13th, Matt Zmigrosky sold 20,899 shares of Diamondback Energy stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $3,761,820.00.

Diamondback Energy Trading Up 1.2%

FANG opened at $192.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $54.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $168.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.87. Diamondback Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $114.00 and a 12 month high of $194.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ:FANG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The oil and natural gas company reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.26). Diamondback Energy had a net margin of 11.07% and a return on equity of 8.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Diamondback Energy, Inc. will post 15.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Diamondback Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. This is a positive change from Diamondback Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Diamondback Energy’s payout ratio is 74.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on FANG shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $173.00 price target on shares of Diamondback Energy in a research note on Monday, January 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Diamondback Energy from $187.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $183.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Diamondback Energy from $180.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Diamondback Energy from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $195.43.

Key Headlines Impacting Diamondback Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broad analyst endorsement — 26 covering analysts have an average “Buy” rating on FANG, reinforcing institutional confidence and helping momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades / 52‑week high — Recent upgrades pushed FANG to a new 52‑week high, attracting momentum traders and supporting the rally. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — The company raised its quarterly payout (now $1.05 per share), improving yield and income appeal for dividend-focused investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears anomalous — Reported short interest showed zero in the recent snapshot (likely a data/reporting issue), so there’s no clear short‑squeeze signal from the published figures.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage roundup — Aggregators highlighted insider selling among several names including FANG; such write‑ups are informational and don’t by themselves prove negative intent. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple material insider sales this week — Several executives/directors sold shares (EVP Matt Zmigrosky, CAO Teresa L. Dick, Director Steven E. West), with Zmigrosky’s recent transactions disclosed in SEC filings; clustered insider selling can weigh on sentiment even when attributed to diversification or tax planning. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent earnings miss — FANG’s latest quarter missed EPS and revenue estimates, which remains a fundamental caution point for some investors despite the subsequent analyst optimism. Article Title

Institutional Trading of Diamondback Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 31.7% during the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 274 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 19,719 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $2,822,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Diamondback Energy by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 10,030 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock valued at $1,435,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 3.0% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,568 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Townsend & Associates Inc boosted its holdings in Diamondback Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Townsend & Associates Inc now owns 14,330 shares of the oil and natural gas company’s stock worth $2,161,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.01% of the company’s stock.

Diamondback Energy Company Profile

Diamondback Energy, Inc (NASDAQ: FANG) is an independent oil and natural gas company focused on the development, exploration and production of unconventional resources in the Permian Basin. Headquartered in Midland, Texas, the company concentrates its operations in the core Midland and Delaware sub‑basins of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, where it pursues contiguous acreage positions to support repeatable drilling programs.

Diamondback’s activities span the upstream value chain, including leasehold acquisition, well planning, drilling, completion and production optimization.