Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $25.76 and last traded at $25.01, with a volume of 388702 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on VTLE shares. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.27.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $816.86 million, a PE ratio of -4.48 and a beta of 3.12. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $32.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth $257,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 26,724 shares of the company's stock worth $826,000 after buying an additional 1,740 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $39,392,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 154.5% in the 4th quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 23,909 shares of the company's stock worth $739,000 after acquiring an additional 14,516 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,214,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,466,000 after purchasing an additional 118,367 shares during the period. 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.