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

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) 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 traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Vital Energy from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Truist Financial cut their price target on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Mizuho lifted their price target on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.70.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 3.12. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.55.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.90 million. On average, research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versor Investments LP increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.