KeyCorp Weighs in on Vital Energy’s Q3 Earnings (NYSE:VTLE)

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) – KeyCorp decreased their Q3 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Vital Energy in a research note issued to investors on Sunday, April 20th. KeyCorp analyst T. Rezvan now forecasts that the company will earn $1.72 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.09. The consensus estimate for Vital Energy’s current full-year earnings is $8.49 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Vital Energy’s Q4 2025 earnings at $1.81 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.67 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.60 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.81 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.50 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.58 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.49 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on VTLE. Raymond James dropped their price target on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Siebert Williams Shank cut Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup cut shares of Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.36.

Vital Energy Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VTLE opened at $15.26 on Wednesday. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $12.30 and a 1-year high of $55.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $590.59 million, a P/E ratio of -3.21 and a beta of 2.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.61.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 43,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $764,528. This trade represents a 13.13 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 97,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,022,335.88. This trade represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.