Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $38.08.

VTLE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America dropped 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 report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,022,335.88. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the company’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 in the company, valued at $962,141.49. This represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 over the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Vital Energy by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 26,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth $39,392,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd increased its stake in Vital Energy by 154.5% during the fourth quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 23,909 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 14,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,214,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,466,000 after purchasing an additional 118,367 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTLE opened at $13.94 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $531.22 million, a PE ratio of -2.93 and a beta of 3.07. Vital Energy has a 12 month low of $13.40 and a 12 month high of $58.30.

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

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.