Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Short Interest Update

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,830,000 shares, a growth of 17.4% from the April 30th total of 5,820,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.8 days. Approximately 23.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Vital Energy Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NYSE:VTLE traded up $0.64 during trading on Friday, hitting $17.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,039,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,096,159. Vital Energy has a 12 month low of $12.30 and a 12 month high of $47.80. The company has a market capitalization of $663.90 million, a PE ratio of -3.61 and a beta of 1.59. The firm's fifty day moving average is $15.37 and its 200 day moving average is $24.61. 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 (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The company had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VTLE. Citigroup cut Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on Vital Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.36.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $207,300.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,022,335.88. This represents a 9.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 251,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This represents a 2.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vital Energy Company 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.