Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Trading Down 4.5% – Here’s What Happened

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)’s stock price was down 4.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $28.27 and last traded at $28.31. Approximately 363,309 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average daily volume of 918,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTLE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $41.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, KeyCorp cut shares of Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.83.

Vital Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $972.22 million, a P/E ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 3.16.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a net margin of 13.97% and a return on equity of 11.58%. The company had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.76 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.35 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 6.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $61,135.06. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 29,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $879,130.02. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Vital Energy news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $155,481.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $796,538.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $61,135.06. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 29,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $879,130.02. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,168 shares of company stock worth $502,017 in the last 90 days. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Vital Energy by 39.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its position in Vital Energy by 100.0% in the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the second quarter worth about $147,000. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the first quarter worth about $206,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.