Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down - Here's Why

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.17, but opened at $31.66. Vital Energy shares last traded at $30.25, with a volume of 531,377 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on VTLE. Truist Financial cut their price target on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $45.70.

Vital Energy Stock Down 6.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company's fifty day moving average price is $32.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.55. The stock has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 3.12.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.32%. Equities analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versor Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in Vital Energy by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $414,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Vital Energy by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company's stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in Vital Energy by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,278 shares of the company's stock worth $503,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 581 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.