Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.26 EPS

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of VTLE stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $16.42. 1,292,793 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,085,378. Vital Energy has a 12 month low of $12.30 and a 12 month high of $51.71. The company has a market cap of $636.53 million, a P/E ratio of -3.46 and a beta of 1.53. The company's 50 day moving average price is $17.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research note 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 research note on Friday, February 21st. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Vital Energy stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,980 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Vital Energy were worth $360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.