Capital One Financial Estimates Vital Energy Q1 Earnings

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) - Investment analysts at Capital One Financial decreased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Vital Energy in a report issued on Wednesday, August 27th. Capital One Financial analyst B. Velie now anticipates that the company will earn $1.51 per share for the quarter, down from their previous 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.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial lowered Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Mizuho dropped 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 downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $28.20.

Vital Energy Trading Down 0.5%

Vital Energy stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,652,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,182,470. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $16.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.41. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $12.30 and a twelve month high of $37.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $689.44 million, a PE ratio of -0.90 and a beta of 1.62.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. The firm 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%. Vital Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased 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 worth $69,699,000 after buying an additional 1,070,289 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,895,000 after purchasing an additional 46,300 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake 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 buying an additional 9,676 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $39,392,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $13,397,000 after acquiring an additional 157,325 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at $139,045,527.25. This trade represents a 3.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.20% 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.