Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down on Analyst Downgrade

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) shares gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday after Piper Sandler lowered their price target on the stock from $35.00 to $27.00. The stock had previously closed at $30.08, but opened at $29.23. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Vital Energy shares last traded at $28.71, with a volume of 62,554 shares traded.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 29,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $879,130.02. The trade was a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $155,481.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,358 shares in the company, valued at $796,538.76. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $414,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 12,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 3.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $29.81 and its 200-day moving average is $35.17.

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

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.