Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Short Interest Up 2,349.0% in July

Key Points

• Vital Energy, Inc. experienced a dramatic increase in short interest, rising by 2,349.0% in July, with approximately 24.6% of its stock now sold short.
• The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for its last quarter, exceeding estimates, with a 6.2% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Vital Energy's stock, with the consensus rating being "Hold" and a price target averaging $28.30.

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 7,450,000 shares, anincreaseof2,349.0% from the June 30th total of 304,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.7 days. Approximately24.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately24.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,300,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTLE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares in the company, valued at $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,618,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in 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 last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 58.7% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Energy Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VTLE stock traded down $0.01 on Tuesday, hitting $16.59. 295,364 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,242,036. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $643.08 million, a P/E ratio of -4.92 and a beta of 1.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $17.86 and a 200 day moving average of $20.73. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $12.30 and a fifty-two week high of $39.21.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The firm had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS 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.