Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Rating Lowered to Underperform at Raymond James Financial

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup lowered Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Siebert Williams Shank cut Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on 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 investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VTLE stock traded down $1.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $17.57. The stock had a trading volume of 2,172,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,259,313. The firm has a market cap of $681.34 million, a PE ratio of -5.20 and a beta of 1.59. Vital Energy has a one year low of $12.30 and a one year high of $47.80. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $16.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. 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 6.37% and a positive return on equity of 10.34%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In related news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the completion of 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the acquisition, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Vital Energy by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 581 shares during the period. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 805.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the last quarter. 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.