Vital Energy's (VTLE) "Neutral" Rating Reaffirmed at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler reissued their neutral rating on shares of Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) in a report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $17.00 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of $15.00.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.27.

Vital Energy Trading Up 4.7%

Vital Energy stock traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $16.87. 1,001,068 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,140,088. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $17.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $654.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.99 and a beta of 1.60. Vital Energy has a 52-week low of $12.30 and a 52-week high of $46.37.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 6.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.34%. The business had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total value of $4,562,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares in the company, valued at $4,550,231.97. The trade was a 2.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Vital Energy by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $123,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $124,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.