Caxton Associates LLP Makes New $2.70 Million Investment in Vital Energy, Inc. $VTLE

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake of 127,277 shares in Vital Energy, Inc., valued at approximately $2.7 million, representing 0.33% of the company.
• Vital Energy reported earnings of $2.02 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, but revenue fell 9.8% year-over-year to $429.63 million.
• Analysts have mostly downgraded Vital Energy's stock ratings, with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.20.

Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 127,277 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,701,000. Caxton Associates LLP owned about 0.33% of Vital Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $123,000. Caption Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the first quarter valued at about $149,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $257,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $266,000. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the first quarter valued at about $225,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTLE traded down $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $16.42. The stock had a trading volume of 465,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,090,773. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $36.72. The business's 50-day moving average price is $16.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $635.45 million, a PE ratio of -0.83 and a beta of 1.62.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $429.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VTLE. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In related 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 value of $906,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,568,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.