Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $14.88, but opened at $15.49. Vital Energy shares last traded at $15.43, with a volume of 258,716 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VTLE. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Mizuho cut their target price 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. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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 quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm's 50 day moving average is $15.52 and its 200-day moving average is $24.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $651.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.54 and a beta of 1.53.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $88,750.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. This represents a 13.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its stake in Vital Energy by 48.3% during the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock worth $69,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,289 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,895,000 after purchasing an additional 46,300 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,395,883 shares of the company's stock worth $43,157,000 after acquiring an additional 9,676 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,392,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 35.8% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 675,293 shares of the company's stock worth $14,330,000 after buying an additional 177,851 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.