Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Short Interest Update

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,050,000 shares, an increase of 25.2% from the July 31st total of 5,630,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 984,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.2 days. Currently, 30.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTLE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Friday, June 14th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Vital Energy from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.82.

Vital Energy Stock Down 3.1 %

NYSE VTLE opened at $35.89 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 3.22. Vital Energy has a 52 week low of $35.13 and a 52 week high of $62.87.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. The firm had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.76 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.35 earnings per share. Vital Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 6.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,411,373.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 42.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 937 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 39.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.