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

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

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

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VTLE opened at $14.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. Vital Energy has a twelve month low of $12.30 and a twelve month high of $38.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.90 and its 200-day moving average is $20.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $575.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.75 and a beta of 1.60.

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

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In related news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $18.09 per share, with a total value of $99,495.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 251,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,550,231.97. This trade represents a 2.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.12, for a total value of $906,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,568,933 shares in the company, valued at $137,149,065.96. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Vital Energy by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vital Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Vital Energy by 146.8% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring 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.