Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) 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 traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VTLE shares. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup cut shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.36.

Vital Energy Trading Up 2.3 %

The company has a market cap of $619.23 million, a P/E ratio of -3.37 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.49. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $550.90 million. Analysts anticipate that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,900.62. This represents a 12.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 stock was purchased at an average price of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at $764,528. The trade was a 13.13 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $788,000. Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $750,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,292,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vital Energy by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 504,885 shares of the company's stock worth $15,611,000 after purchasing an additional 103,583 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Vital Energy by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 239,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,393,000 after buying an additional 33,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.