Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.08.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho raised their target price on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VTLE opened at $20.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $27.26 and a 200-day moving average of $29.29. Vital Energy has a one year low of $19.76 and a one year high of $58.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $793.30 million, a PE ratio of -4.38 and a beta of 3.07.

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

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In related news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $117,601.29. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,022,335.88. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $335,000. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $228,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 90,523 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Vital Energy by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its stake in Vital Energy by 831.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 15,992 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 14,275 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by 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.