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

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Raymond James Financial from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

VTLE has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective 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. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Citigroup cut Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a 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 on the stock in a report on Monday, June 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.09.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Vital Energy stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.33. 981,746 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,117,858. The stock has a market capitalization of $632.92 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.84 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.52. Vital Energy has a 52-week low of $12.30 and a 52-week high of $47.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. The business 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 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The company's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 represents a 13.13% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 stock was purchased at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $788,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 304,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,410,000 after acquiring an additional 38,537 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 504,885 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,611,000 after acquiring an additional 103,583 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 239,101 shares of the company's stock worth $7,393,000 after acquiring an additional 33,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 3,678.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,642 shares of the company's stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 29,831 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.