Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Up 6.8% – What’s Next?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) was up 6.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $19.06 and last traded at $19.11. Approximately 285,923 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 1,094,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VTLE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Raymond James reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $27.00 target price on Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.36.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $724.65 million, a PE ratio of -3.94 and a beta of 1.59. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The business had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. Vital Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 43,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $764,528. This trade represents a 13.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 251,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. The trade was a 2.24% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $96,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $123,000. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $124,000. 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.