Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target Lowered to $23.00 at Piper Sandler

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price objective reduced by Piper Sandler from $24.00 to $23.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on VTLE. Siebert Williams Shank cut Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.92.

Vital Energy Trading Up 5.6 %

VTLE opened at $15.50 on Tuesday. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $12.30 and a 1-year high of $55.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $21.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $599.84 million, a PE ratio of -3.26 and a beta of 2.82. 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 (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. This trade represents a 13.13 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,022,335.88. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Vital Energy by 276.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is 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.