Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Down 4.4% – Here’s Why

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) traded down 4.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $31.44 and last traded at $31.62. 86,280 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 901,414 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTLE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.09.

Vital Energy Stock Down 5.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 3.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $29.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.44.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.15. Vital Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company had revenue of $459.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.58 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 6.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $285,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 77,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,306.64. This represents a 11.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $155,481.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $796,538.76. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Vital Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Vital Energy by 2,590.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,943 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Vital Energy by 234.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC grew its stake in Vital Energy by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

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.