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

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the twelve research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.30.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VTLE. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 price target (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total transaction of $906,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,568,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,149,065.96. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Vital Energy by 53.1% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Vital Energy by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 304,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,410,000 after purchasing an additional 38,537 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Vital Energy by 3,678.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $650,000 after purchasing an additional 29,831 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 123,148 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 19,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,116,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,442,000 after buying an additional 62,771 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

Vital Energy Trading Down 9.5%

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded down $1.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $16.92. 1,511,406 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,117,534. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $12.30 and a 12-month high of $41.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.08. The firm has a market cap of $655.99 million, a P/E ratio of -5.01 and a beta of 1.60.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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.