AlphaQuest LLC Invests $1.16 Million in Vital Energy, Inc. $VTLE

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC has made a significant investment of $1.16 million in Vital Energy, acquiring 54,701 shares, which represents 0.14% ownership of the company.
• Research firms have recently downgraded Vital Energy’s stock ratings, with Mizuho lowering its price target from $29 to $23, and the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce."
• Vital Energy's earnings report showed an EPS of $2.02 for the quarter, beating estimates, but revenue fell short at $429.63 million compared to the expected $481.25 million.

AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 54,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,161,000. AlphaQuest LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Vital Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VTLE. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 27.0% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 85,483 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,814,000 after buying an additional 18,171 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 53.1% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 5,079 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 304,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,410,000 after buying an additional 38,537 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 3,678.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 29,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 123,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 19,753 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.20.

Vital Energy Price Performance

VTLE stock traded up $0.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $17.92. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,435,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,358,934. The stock has a market cap of $693.31 million, a PE ratio of -0.91 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Vital Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.30 and a fifty-two week high of $37.33. The company's 50 day moving average is $17.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.84.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $429.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 38.52% and a positive return on equity of 11.86%. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total transaction of $906,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,568,933 shares in the company, valued at $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vital Energy 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.