Brokerages Set Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target at $32.36

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.36.

Several research firms have weighed in on VTLE. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Raymond James dropped 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.

Vital Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

VTLE stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $16.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 919,958 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,048,085. Vital Energy has a 52 week low of $12.30 and a 52 week high of $55.87. The stock has a market cap of $623.49 million, a PE ratio of -3.39 and a beta of 2.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $19.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.28.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of Vital Energy 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. Insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. 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.