Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $39.54.

VTLE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 13th.

Vital Energy Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE VTLE opened at $21.57 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $28.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.39. The company has a market capitalization of $822.35 million, a PE ratio of -4.54 and a beta of 3.07. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $19.85 and a 12-month high of $58.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. Equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,900.62. The trade was a 12.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,392,000. Condire Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $19,066,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $15,995,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 14.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,755,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,214,000 after purchasing an additional 220,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Vital Energy by 124.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 338,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,110,000 after purchasing an additional 187,503 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.