Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Trading Up 6.8% - Here's Why

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) shares were up 6.8% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $19.06 and last traded at $19.11. Approximately 285,923 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 1,094,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VTLE. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.36.

Vital Energy Trading Up 4.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $750.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.08 and a beta of 1.59. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $15.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.47.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The firm 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 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. Vital Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost 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 approximately $764,528. The trade was a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 251,533 shares in the company, 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. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,278 shares of the company's stock worth $503,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted 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. Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in Vital Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,514 shares of the company's stock worth $542,000 after purchasing an additional 972 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.