Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Trading Down 4.7% - Here's Why

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) traded down 4.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $20.07 and last traded at $19.89. 159,420 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 1,104,444 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.86.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VTLE shares. Citigroup downgraded Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Down 9.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $732.75 million, a P/E ratio of -5.59 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In related news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $88,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 43,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $764,528. This trade represents a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its stake in Vital Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company's stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.