Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) shares gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.17, but opened at $31.66. Vital Energy shares last traded at $30.25, with a volume of 531,377 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on VTLE shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.70.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 3.12.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The business had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Equities research analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 633,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,031,000 after purchasing an additional 17,782 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $750,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 96.8% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 145,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,905,000 after purchasing an additional 71,385 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $701,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Vital Energy by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 192,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,965,000 after acquiring an additional 9,320 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.