Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Vital Energy shares gapped down before market opening, transitioning from a $18.54 close to a $18.05 opening price, with a recent trading value of $18.32 on increased volume.
• Several analysts downgraded Vital Energy's ratings, with Piper Sandler lowering its price target to $16.00, resulting in an average consensus rating of "Reduce" and a target price of $28.20.
• Insider Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares at an average price of $18.12, indicating a 0.66% decrease in his position, while institutional investors currently hold 86.54% of the company's stock.

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $18.54, but opened at $18.05. Vital Energy shares last traded at $18.32, with a volume of 43,269 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.20.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $634.87 million, a PE ratio of -0.83 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $17.92.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 11.86% and a negative net margin of 38.52%.The company had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total value of $906,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $137,149,065.96. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 48.3% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,699,000 after buying an additional 1,070,289 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,895,000 after buying an additional 46,300 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $39,392,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 23.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,397,000 after buying an additional 157,325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 673,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,833,000 after buying an additional 18,602 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.