Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.36.

Several brokerages have recently commented on VTLE. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price 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.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Vital Energy stock traded down $0.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.62. 1,149,084 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,085,900. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $16.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $566.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.08 and a beta of 1.53. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $12.30 and a 1-year high of $51.71.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. The trade was a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 251,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 in the last quarter. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.