Picton Mahoney Asset Management Buys New Stake in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Picton Mahoney Asset Management purchased a new stake in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 10,614 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $123,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $124,000. Finally, Kerrisdale Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Vital Energy stock opened at $19.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $752.53 million, a PE ratio of -5.74 and a beta of 1.60. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.30 and a 12 month high of $44.94. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.33.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $528.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. Vital Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VTLE shares. 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 reiterated a “mixed” rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 target price (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.30.

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.