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

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $47.92.

A number of research firms have recently commented on VTLE. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In related news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $37.85 per share, with a total value of $94,625.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vital Energy news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $37.85 per share, with a total value of $94,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,411,373.65. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $155,481.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $796,538.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its position in Vital Energy by 52.8% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 113,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,156,000 after buying an additional 39,147 shares during the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $429,000. CastleKnight Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 59,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,707,000 after purchasing an additional 4,700 shares during the period. Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $826,000. Finally, Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC now owns 45,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,059,000 after purchasing an additional 2,165 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Energy Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE VTLE opened at $29.66 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $32.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 3.16. Vital Energy has a 12 month low of $25.94 and a 12 month high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). The company 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.35 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.58 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.