Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $34.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Free Report) had its price objective trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $34.00 in a research note published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on VTLE. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.00.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded down $0.63 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $29.45. 1,018,353 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 900,421. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company's 50 day moving average is $29.81 and its 200 day moving average is $35.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 3.19. Vital Energy has a one year low of $25.85 and a one year high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.15. Vital Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The business had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.58 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.16 EPS. Vital Energy's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Vital Energy will post 6.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $61,135.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 29,091 shares in the company, valued at $879,130.02. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $155,481.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 26,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at $796,538.76. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 17,168 shares of company stock worth $502,017 in the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. CWM LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 400.9% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 2,590.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,943 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 234.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.