Vitesse Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTS) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Vitesse Energy an average recommendation of "Hold" (4 holds, 1 buy) with a one-year average price target of $21.67.
• Company insiders sold a total of 341,808 shares (~$6.76M) in the last three months — including the CEO's 90,737-share sale — leaving insiders with 18.15% ownership.
• Vitesse missed the latest quarter (EPS -$0.02 vs. $0.10 estimate; revenue $58.6M vs. $67.1M) and paid a quarterly dividend that annualizes to $1.75 (a 9.6% yield) but carries a concerning 277.78% payout ratio.

Shares of Vitesse Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTS - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $21.6667.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vitesse Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vitesse Energy in a report on Friday, March 27th.

Insider Transactions at Vitesse Energy

In other news, CAO Mike Morella sold 5,202 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.13, for a total transaction of $104,716.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 82,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,658,973.69. This trade represents a 5.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Gerrity sold 90,737 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.14, for a total transaction of $1,827,443.18. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 514,693 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,365,917.02. The trade was a 14.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 341,808 shares of company stock valued at $6,758,540. Company insiders own 18.15% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vitesse Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in Vitesse Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Vitesse Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Vitesse Energy by 203.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Vitesse Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Vitesse Energy by 43.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,529 shares of the company's stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. 51.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vitesse Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VTS opened at $18.31 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $19.98 and a 200-day moving average of $20.69. The company has a market capitalization of $728.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.07 and a beta of 0.69. Vitesse Energy has a 52 week low of $17.22 and a 52 week high of $27.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $58.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.10 million. Vitesse Energy had a return on equity of 4.38% and a net margin of 9.23%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vitesse Energy will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vitesse Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Vitesse Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 277.78%.

About Vitesse Energy

Vitesse Energy NYSE: VTS is an independent exploration and production company primarily focused on onshore oil and gas assets in the United States. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the company identifies, acquires and develops low-decline, shallow to intermediate depth vertical wells, targeting predictable production profiles and stable cash flows. Vitesse leverages a lean operational model to optimize well performance and reduce unit operating costs across its asset base.

The company’s core operations are concentrated in the Arkoma Basin of eastern Oklahoma and the Ark-La-Tex region, where it holds acreage positions in multiple formations.

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