Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research has upgraded Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, signaling increased confidence in the stock's potential.
• Vital Energy shares traded up by 7.1%, with a current market capitalization of approximately $663.12 million.
• The company faces a mixed outlook, with earnings results showing a decline in revenue, having posted $429.63 million compared to analyst expectations of $481.25 million.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $27.80.

Vital Energy Trading Up 7.1%

Shares of Vital Energy stock opened at $17.14 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $663.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.87 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $12.30 and a 12-month high of $36.72. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $16.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.15.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 38.52% and a positive return on equity of 11.86%. The company had revenue of $429.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $481.25 million. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.46 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total value of $4,562,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. This trade represents a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 58.7% in 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 last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Vital Energy by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 146.8% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 2,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 249.3% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,044 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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