Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its target price lifted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $21.00 to $22.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 36.40% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on VTLE. Bank of America reduced their target price on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Vital Energy from an “outperform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.18.

Vital Energy Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of VTLE stock opened at $16.13 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $625.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.77 and a beta of 1.60. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.33. Vital Energy has a 1 year low of $12.30 and a 1 year high of $47.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $512.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $528.76 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,618,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. The trade was a 3.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,550,231.97. The trade was a 2.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 53.1% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 304,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,410,000 after buying an additional 38,537 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Vital Energy by 25.8% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 504,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,611,000 after acquiring an additional 103,583 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 3,678.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 30,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $650,000 after acquiring an additional 29,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,022,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

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.