Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the twelve analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.36.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho increased their price target on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America cut their target price 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, April 1st. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In related news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,022,335.88. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 in the last 90 days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 276.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vital Energy Stock Up 5.6 %

Vital Energy stock opened at $15.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $12.30 and a 1-year high of $55.87. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.70. The company has a market capitalization of $599.84 million, a P/E ratio of -3.26 and a beta of 2.82.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.