Vital Energy Q1 EPS Forecast Cut by Capital One Financial

Key Points

• Capital One Financial has revised down its Q1 2026 earnings per share estimate for Vital Energy to $1.51, down from $1.54, with a consensus estimate for the full year at $8.49 per share.
• Vital Energy reported Q2 2026 earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates of $1.98, despite a 9.8% year-over-year decline in revenue to $429.63 million.
• Analyst ratings for Vital Energy have deteriorated, with mixed ratings and several firms adjusting price targets downward, reflecting a consensus rating of "Reduce."

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) - Analysts at Capital One Financial reduced their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Vital Energy in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 27th. Capital One Financial analyst B. Velie now expects that the company will post earnings of $1.51 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.54. The consensus estimate for Vital Energy's current full-year earnings is $8.49 per share. Capital One Financial also issued estimates for Vital Energy's Q2 2026 earnings at $1.34 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.27 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.27 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $4.82 EPS.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $429.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 38.52% and a positive return on equity of 11.86%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share.

VTLE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $28.20.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VTLE traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $17.76. 492,355 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,361,842. The stock's fifty day moving average is $16.94 and its 200 day moving average is $18.29. The stock has a market cap of $687.31 million, a P/E ratio of -0.90 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $12.30 and a 1-year high of $36.72.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its stake in Vital Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company's stock worth $69,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,289 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 46,300 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 9,676 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,392,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 23.3% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 832,618 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,397,000 after purchasing an additional 157,325 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total transaction of $906,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares in the company, valued at $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.