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

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $14.79, but opened at $14.29. Vital Energy shares last traded at $13.89, with a volume of 245,220 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VTLE shares. Citigroup cut Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Raymond James 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 report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $32.36.

Vital Energy Trading Up 2.3 %

The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $17.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $619.23 million, a P/E ratio of -3.37 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This represents a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at $764,528. This represents a 13.13 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 in the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Vital Energy by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the period. Comerica Bank grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $396,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.