Wolfe Research Initiates Coverage on Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE)

Research analysts at Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) in a research report issued on Thursday, Briefing.com reports. The firm set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.78% from the stock’s current price.

VTLE has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $54.00 to $52.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $86.00 to $77.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $57.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $58.45.

Vital Energy Price Performance

VTLE stock opened at $46.39 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $45.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.78. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $40.00 and a 12-month high of $62.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 3.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.13. Vital Energy had a net margin of 30.34% and a return on equity of 14.22%. The firm had revenue of $482.34 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $454.97 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 570 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 42.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

Vital Energy Company Profile

Vital Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc in January 2023.