Nuveen LLC Makes New $2.36 Million Investment in Vital Energy, Inc. $VTLE

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has invested approximately $2.36 million in Vital Energy, acquiring 111,252 shares, representing about 0.29% of the company as of the latest SEC filing.
• Vital Energy reported earnings of $2.02 EPS for the most recent quarter, exceeding expectations, but revenues were down 9.8% year-over-year.
• The stock has faced recent downgrades from multiple analysts, with Raymond James changing its rating from "outperform" to "underperform," indicating growing caution among equity research firms.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 111,252 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,361,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Vital Energy as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $123,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the first quarter worth $225,000. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at $139,045,527.25. This represents a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VTLE traded down $0.77 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.77. 664,084 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,362,921. The business has a 50 day moving average of $16.94 and a 200-day moving average of $18.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.30 and a 12-month high of $36.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $687.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.90 and a beta of 1.62.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 11.86% and a negative net margin of 38.52%.The company had revenue of $429.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $481.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $28.20.

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.