Analysts Set Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Target Price at $27.80

Key Points

• Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE: VTLE) has received an average rating of "Reduce" from eleven brokerages, with four analysts recommending a sell and six a hold.
• The company's stock price target has decreased, with Mizuho setting a new target of $19.00, down from $22.00.
• Major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares at an average price of $18.25, resulting in a total transaction value of $4.56 million.

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $27.80.

A number of brokerages have commented on VTLE. Mizuho lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. This represents a 3.18% 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. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock worth $69,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,289 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 3,344.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 428,775 shares of the company's stock worth $6,899,000 after purchasing an additional 416,325 shares during the period. Ancient Art L.P. purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $7,109,000. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in Vital Energy by 939.7% during the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 261,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,554,000 after acquiring an additional 236,548 shares during the period. Finally, PDT Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,961,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Energy Stock Up 8.9%

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded up $1.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $17.43. 423,460 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,342,561. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $16.69 and a 200 day moving average of $17.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $674.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.87 and a beta of 1.62. Vital Energy has a 1 year low of $12.30 and a 1 year high of $36.72.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 11.86% and a negative net margin of 38.52%.The firm's revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.