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 trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTLE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Down 5.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.71. The company has a market cap of $690.14 million, a PE ratio of -5.25 and a beta of 1.59.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $88,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. The trade was a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 251,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 361.1% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 38,861 shares of the company's stock valued at $825,000 after purchasing an additional 30,433 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $502,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 200,055 shares of the company's stock worth $4,245,000 after purchasing an additional 7,134 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,701,000. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $470,000. 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.

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