Woodline Partners LP Takes Position in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,274,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,392,000. Woodline Partners LP owned about 3.34% of Vital Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VTLE. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 124.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 338,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,110,000 after purchasing an additional 187,503 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in Vital Energy by 247.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $214,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Vital Energy by 276.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $701,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Energy Price Performance

VTLE traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $15.23. 1,093,023 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,091,398. The firm has a market capitalization of $590.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.21 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Vital Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $12.30 and a one year high of $49.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.73.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,141.49. The trade was a 10.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,022,335.88. This trade represents a 9.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VTLE. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.36.

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.