Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) Receives $55.82 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $52.45.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VTLE opened at $27.93 on Tuesday. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $26.02 and a twelve month high of $58.30. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.47. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 3.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. The firm had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.76 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.35 EPS. Vital Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,411,373.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Vital Energy by 42.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 937 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised 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 worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in Vital Energy by 7.3% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Vital Energy by 5.4% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in Vital Energy by 400.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. 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.