Q3 EPS Estimates for Vital Energy Reduced by Analyst

Key Points

• Capital One Financial has lowered its Q3 2025 EPS estimate for Vital Energy from $1.86 to $1.85, with a full-year earnings consensus at $8.49 per share.
• Vital Energy's stock was recently downgraded by multiple analysts, resulting in a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.20.
• Despite a recent 0.5% decline in share value, Vital Energy reported a positive EPS of $2.02 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations.

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Capital One Financial dropped their Q3 2025 EPS estimates for Vital Energy in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 27th. Capital One Financial analyst B. Velie now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.85 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.86. The consensus estimate for Vital Energy's current full-year earnings is $8.49 per share. Capital One Financial also issued estimates for Vital Energy's Q4 2025 earnings at $2.38 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $8.62 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.40 EPS.

VTLE has been the topic of several other research reports. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $28.20.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded down $0.99 during trading on Monday, hitting $16.41. The company had a trading volume of 1,461,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,116,492. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.04. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $12.30 and a fifty-two week high of $36.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $634.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.83 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 38.52% and a positive return on equity of 11.86%. The company had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vital Energy by 58.7% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the second quarter worth about $58,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Vital Energy by 30.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,304 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Vital Energy by 146.8% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,685 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

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.