Weiss Ratings Reaffirms "Sell (D)" Rating for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE)

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has reaffirmed a "Sell (D)" rating for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE), indicating ongoing concerns about the company's stock performance.
• Vital Energy recently reported earnings of $2.02 per share, exceeding estimates, but showed a revenue decline of 9.8% from the previous year.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in Vital Energy, with 86.54% of shares owned by hedge funds and institutional firms, reflecting strong market interest.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d)" rating reissued by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on VTLE. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Vital Energy from an "outperform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vital Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $26.44.

Vital Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $17.15. 237,701 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,324,751. The business's fifty day moving average is $16.58 and its 200 day moving average is $16.86. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $12.30 and a fifty-two week high of $36.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $663.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.87 and a beta of 1.45. 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 (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,532 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 1,488 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 30.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 4,304 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 1,005 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 63.5% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 99,440 shares of the company's stock worth $1,600,000 after buying an additional 38,613 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 126.4% in the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 288,155 shares of the company's stock worth $4,636,000 after buying an additional 160,878 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.

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