Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Up 3.8% – Here’s What Happened

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)’s stock price was up 3.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $30.80 and last traded at $30.73. Approximately 60,373 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 895,197 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Vital Energy from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vital Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.00.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 3.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $30.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.09.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.15. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.09%. The company had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 6.93 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $285,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 77,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,306.64. The trade was a 11.43 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $61,135.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 29,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $879,130.02. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 100.0% in the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Vital Energy by 2,590.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,943 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Vital Energy by 234.2% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 14.2% in the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.