Insider Selling: Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Major Shareholder Sells 250,000 Shares of Stock

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at $139,045,527.25. This trade represents a 3.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Vital Energy Price Performance

VTLE stock traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.92. The stock had a trading volume of 925,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,131,258. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.30 and a 52-week high of $47.80. The company has a market cap of $733.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.60 and a beta of 1.60. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $17.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.66. 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 (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The business had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.76 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Mizuho cut their price target 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 dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Finally, 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.09.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 25.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 504,885 shares of the company's stock worth $15,611,000 after purchasing an additional 103,583 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $788,000. Arizona State Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $4,022,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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