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

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $20.15, but opened at $21.43. Vital Energy shares last traded at $20.96, with a volume of 580,904 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VTLE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.36.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $830.64 million, a P/E ratio of -4.51 and a beta of 1.59.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell purchased 5,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost 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. This trade represents a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 251,533 shares in the company, valued at $4,550,231.97. This represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $96,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $123,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $124,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by 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.