Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) fell 4.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $32.21 and last traded at $31.96. 25,824 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 96% from the average session volume of 733,630 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VTLE shares. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wolfe Research raised Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.90.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 3.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $32.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.75.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.58 million. Vital Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.16 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vital Energy by 276.9% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Vital Energy by 247.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 2,590.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 1,943 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vital Energy

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.