Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Takes $1.11 Million Position in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 52,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,105,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $123,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $124,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 121.5% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Vital Energy Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of VTLE traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $17.35. The stock had a trading volume of 239,014 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,249,952. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.30 and a 12 month high of $45.83. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $672.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.13 and a beta of 1.60.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its 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 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The company had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $528.76 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. Vital Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. The trade was a 2.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total value of $4,562,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,618,933 shares in the company, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. This trade represents a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VTLE. Mizuho lowered their target price 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 lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $17.00 target price (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial cut Vital Energy from an “outperform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.27.

Vital Energy 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.