Whiting Petroleum Corp (NYSE:WLL) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 29th, there was short interest totalling 34,990,000 shares, an increase of 10.7% from the November 14th total of 31,620,000 shares. Approximately 38.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 9,880,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days.
Shares of WLL opened at $6.81 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Whiting Petroleum has a 12-month low of $4.29 and a 12-month high of $30.94. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.94 and its 200 day moving average is $9.80. The company has a market capitalization of $621.75 million, a PE ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 3.14.
Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas exploration company reported ($0.38) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.30). Whiting Petroleum had a negative return on equity of 1.90% and a net margin of 6.62%. The company had revenue of $372.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 34.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Whiting Petroleum will post -1.07 earnings per share for the current year.
WLL has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum from $21.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. S&P Equity Research decreased their target price on shares of Whiting Petroleum from $6.60 to $6.14 in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Imperial Capital restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $10.00 price target (down from $15.00) on shares of Whiting Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Whiting Petroleum from $9.00 to $7.75 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies dropped their price objective on shares of Whiting Petroleum from $19.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Whiting Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.31.
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Whiting Petroleum by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 9,681 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 3,570 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whiting Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at about $87,000. Rational Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whiting Petroleum by 782.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 14,939 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 13,246 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in Whiting Petroleum by 12.7% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 23,825 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 2,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brave Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Whiting Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $204,000. 99.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Whiting Petroleum Company Profile
Whiting Petroleum Corporation engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States. The company sells its oil and gas production to end users, marketers, and other purchasers.
Recommended Story: What is the Beige Book?
Receive News & Ratings for Whiting Petroleum Daily – Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts’ ratings for Whiting Petroleum and related companies with MarketBeat.com’s FREE daily email newsletter.