Insider Selling: Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) EVP Sells $123,841.02 in Stock

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,900.62. This trade represents a 12.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

VTLE opened at $21.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $807.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 3.07. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.85 and a 52-week high of $58.30. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.12.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 276.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTLE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. 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. Citigroup lowered shares of Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $40.46.

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.