Vital Energy, Inc. $VTLE Holdings Lessened by Warburg Pincus LLC

Key Points

• Warburg Pincus LLC reduced its stake in Vital Energy, Inc. by 18.0%, making it the firm's 6th largest position, valued at approximately $3.18 million.
• Analysts have recently downgraded Vital Energy, with most giving it a "Reduce" rating and a target price of $28.20.
• The company's quarterly earnings surpassed estimates with an EPS of $2.02, but its revenue declined 9.8% year-over-year, totaling $429.63 million.

Warburg Pincus LLC lowered its position in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) by 18.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 150,113 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,045 shares during the period. Vital Energy comprises about 0.2% of Warburg Pincus LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Warburg Pincus LLC owned approximately 0.39% of Vital Energy worth $3,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 48.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,895,000 after buying an additional 46,300 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,395,883 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,157,000 after acquiring an additional 9,676 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $39,392,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Vital Energy by 35.8% in the first 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 during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Vital Energy stock traded down $0.98 on Friday, reaching $16.41. 1,016,285 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,181. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.97 and a 200 day moving average of $18.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $635.11 million, a PE ratio of -0.83 and a beta of 1.62. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $36.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. The firm 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%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.