Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Down 4.5% – What’s Next?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)’s stock price traded down 4.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $28.27 and last traded at $28.31. 363,309 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 918,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.65.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lowered shares of Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $41.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.92.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $32.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 3.16.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a net margin of 13.97% and a return on equity of 11.58%. The company had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.76 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.35 earnings per share. Vital Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 6.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 2,500 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $37.85 per share, with a total value of $94,625.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,411,373.65. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,411,373.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 77,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,306.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the second quarter worth $64,690,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Vital Energy by 800.9% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 541,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,263,000 after buying an additional 481,248 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Vital Energy by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,227,000 after buying an additional 282,574 shares in the last quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $10,443,000. Finally, Webs Creek Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $7,619,000. 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.