Marshall Wace LLP Sells 199,914 Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Marshall Wace LLP trimmed its stake in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) by 72.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,261 shares of the company's stock after selling 199,914 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.20% of Vital Energy worth $2,358,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 17,675 shares of the company's stock worth $547,000 after acquiring an additional 4,787 shares during the last quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $261,000. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 112.4% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 23,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 12,578 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $267,000. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VTLE shares. Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective 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. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $32.36.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTLE traded up $0.48 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $14.66. 841,188 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,051,220. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $54.54. The firm has a market cap of $567.26 million, a PE ratio of -3.08 and a beta of 2.82. The company's 50 day moving average price is $19.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,900.62. The trade was a 12.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $117,601.29. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at $962,141.49. The trade was a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.