Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) PT Lowered to $40.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target reduced by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $48.00 to $40.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 29.07% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. KeyCorp lowered Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $41.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.17.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VTLE opened at $30.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 3.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.51. The business’s fifty day moving average is $33.41 and its 200 day moving average is $43.45. Vital Energy has a 52-week low of $25.94 and a 52-week high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). The business had revenue of $476.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.76 million. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. Vital Energy’s revenue was up 42.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.35 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 6.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,411,373.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VTLE. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $64,690,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Vital Energy by 800.9% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 541,337 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,263,000 after buying an additional 481,248 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Vital Energy by 19.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,227,000 after buying an additional 282,574 shares during the last quarter. Thomist Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the second quarter valued at $10,443,000. Finally, Webs Creek Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the first quarter valued at $7,619,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.