Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VTLE. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated a “mixed” rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $17.00 price target (up previously from $15.00) on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut shares of Vital Energy from an “outperform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.30.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VTLE opened at $14.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $559.76 million, a P/E ratio of -0.73 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.06. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $12.30 and a twelve month high of $38.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.98 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $429.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.25 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 38.52% and a positive return on equity of 11.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 250,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.25, for a total transaction of $4,562,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,618,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $139,045,527.25. This trade represents a 3.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares in the company, 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. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 58.7% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $58,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 146.8% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787 shares during the last quarter. 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.