Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) had its price objective cut by Wells Fargo & Company from $24.00 to $21.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Down 2.2%

VTLE stock traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $21.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,133,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,111,135. The company's fifty day moving average price is $16.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $12.30 and a twelve month high of $47.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $814.98 million, a P/E ratio of -6.22 and a beta of 1.59.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The company 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 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. Vital Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were 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 now owns 251,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $123,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $124,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.