Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Up 3.3% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) were up 3.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $22.93 and last traded at $23.08. Approximately 82,284 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 1,054,345 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.34.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VTLE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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, March 13th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.54.

Vital Energy Trading Up 1.8 %

The company has a market capitalization of $867.10 million, a PE ratio of -4.79 and a beta of 3.07. 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’s fifty day moving average is $28.97 and its 200-day moving average is $29.53.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $257,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Vital Energy by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 26,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth $39,392,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 154.5% during the fourth quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 23,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,000 after buying an additional 14,516 shares during the period. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 118,367 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

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.