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

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $18.86, but opened at $18.19. Vital Energy shares last traded at $17.48, with a volume of 572,076 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTLE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup lowered Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America cut their price target on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $644.01 million, a PE ratio of -4.89 and a beta of 1.59. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $16.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $88,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at $764,528. The trade was a 13.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 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 Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 130,842 shares of the company's stock worth $4,046,000 after acquiring an additional 3,571 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $788,000. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Vital Energy by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 25.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $206,000. Hedge funds and other 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.