Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its target price lifted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $34.00 to $36.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.29% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets decreased 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. Wolfe Research raised shares of Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.36.

Vital Energy Price Performance

NYSE VTLE opened at $35.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 3.16. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $25.85 and a 1-year high of $58.30. 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 $31.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.43.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.58 million. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.09%. Vital Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.16 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Vital Energy by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 3.6% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 1.7% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 32,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,447,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.