Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target Cut to $35.00 by Analysts at Piper Sandler

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by analysts at Piper Sandler from $37.00 to $35.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Piper Sandler's price target points to a potential upside of 9.92% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on VTLE. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $41.00 to $29.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Truist Financial decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $47.67.

Vital Energy Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE VTLE traded up $0.93 on Monday, reaching $31.84. 676,390 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 916,038. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 3.16. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $25.85 and a fifty-two week high of $58.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50 day moving average of $28.52 and a 200 day moving average of $37.84.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $461.58 million. Vital Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.16 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction of $285,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 77,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,212,306.64. This represents a 11.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total value of $155,481.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 valued at $502,017 over the last 90 days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vital Energy by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,740 shares of the company's stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Vital Energy by 5.4% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $414,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 400.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.