Bank of America Cuts Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $27.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) had its price target decreased by Bank of America from $33.00 to $27.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Bank of America currently has an underperform rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on VTLE. Citigroup cut shares of Vital Energy to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Siebert Williams Shank cut Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $38.08.

Vital Energy Stock Down 17.1 %

Vital Energy stock traded down $2.87 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.94. 3,383,071 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 992,841. The company has a market capitalization of $531.22 million, a P/E ratio of -2.93 and a beta of 3.07. The business's 50 day moving average is $26.51 and its 200 day moving average is $29.10. Vital Energy has a 52 week low of $13.40 and a 52 week high of $58.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.90 million. Analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Energy

In other news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $880,900.62. The trade was a 12.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 in the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in 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. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 276.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company's stock.

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.