Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Trading Down 7.8% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vital Energy's stock (NYSE:VTLE) fell by 7.8% during mid-day trading, hitting a low of $17.03, compared to the previous closing price of $18.69.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.30, while several firms have adjusted their ratings and price targets downwards recently.
• Insider trading activity saw major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sell 250,000 shares at an average price of $18.25, indicating a decrease in his ownership of the company.

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) shares traded down 7.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $17.03 and last traded at $17.24. 518,432 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 58% from the average session volume of 1,244,599 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Raymond James Financial downgraded Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.30.

Vital Energy Stock Down 10.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.80 and a 200-day moving average of $21.21. The company has a market capitalization of $651.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.98 and a beta of 1.60.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the insider 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 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. Insiders own 1.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTLE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 740 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during 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 raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,514 shares of the company's stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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