GSA Capital Partners LLP Invests $768,000 in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Key Points

• GSA Capital Partners LLP invested approximately $768,000 in Vital Energy, acquiring 36,172 shares during the 1st quarter, holding about 0.09% of the company's stock at the end of the reporting period.
• Vital Energy has recently seen notable activity among institutional investors, with hedge funds and institutions owning 86.54% of its shares, including significant increases in holdings by Vanguard Group and LPL Financial.
• The stock is currently trading down 9.5%, with a recent share price of $16.92, and analysts maintaining a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $28.30.

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 36,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $768,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP owned about 0.09% of Vital Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VTLE. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $39,392,000. Condire Management LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $19,066,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $15,995,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $4,022,000. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,214,295 shares of the company's stock worth $68,466,000 after acquiring an additional 118,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

Vital Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:VTLE traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.30. The stock had a trading volume of 825,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,244,297. The firm has a market cap of $631.99 million, a PE ratio of -4.83 and a beta of 1.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $20.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. Vital Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $12.30 and a twelve month high of $39.21.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 6.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.34%. Vital Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VTLE shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 target price (up from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vital Energy 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 sale, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 251,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.20% 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.