Raymond James Financial Inc. Grows Stock Position in Vital Energy, Inc. $VTLE

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Energy, Inc. by 65.3%, owning approximately 214,967 shares valued at about $4.56 million.
• Vital Energy reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.02, exceeding analysts' estimates but showing a revenue decline of 9.8% year-over-year.
• The stock has seen mixed analyst ratings, with one buy, six holds, and four sells, along with a consensus target price of $28.20.

Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) by 65.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 214,967 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 84,899 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.56% of Vital Energy worth $4,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth $39,392,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vital Energy by 48.3% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock worth $69,699,000 after buying an additional 1,070,289 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 35.8% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 675,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,330,000 after purchasing an additional 177,851 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,361,000. Finally, Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,783,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Vital Energy stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.48. 715,150 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,362,747. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $16.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $637.85 million, a PE ratio of -0.83 and a beta of 1.62. Vital Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $12.30 and a one year high of $36.72. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 11.86% and a negative net margin of 38.52%.Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total value of $906,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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 price target on Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial cut Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $28.20.

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.