Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $39.54.

A number of analysts have issued reports on VTLE shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th.

Vital Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of VTLE stock opened at $21.57 on Friday. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $19.85 and a fifty-two week high of $58.30. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $822.35 million, a P/E ratio of -4.54 and a beta of 3.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. Equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $880,900.62. This trade represents a 12.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the third quarter worth about $335,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $228,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 401,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,795,000 after acquiring an additional 90,523 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Vital Energy by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 831.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 15,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 14,275 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.