Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Down 4.7% After Insider Selling

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) dropped 4.7% on Monday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $18.18 and last traded at $18.02. Approximately 78,616 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 1,130,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.92.

Specifically, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total value of $906,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,149,065.96. This represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial cut Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $30.27.

Vital Energy Trading Up 4.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $652.66 million, a PE ratio of -4.98 and a beta of 1.60. The business's 50-day moving average is $17.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.33.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 48.3% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,699,000 after buying an additional 1,070,289 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company's stock worth $45,895,000 after purchasing an additional 46,300 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 9,676 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $39,392,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 35.8% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 675,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,330,000 after purchasing an additional 177,851 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.