Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Trading 3.3% Higher - Time to Buy?

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE - Get Free Report) was up 3.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $22.93 and last traded at $23.08. Approximately 82,284 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 1,054,345 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VTLE shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Wolfe Research raised Vital Energy from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $39.54.

Vital Energy Stock Down 2.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $822.35 million, a PE ratio of -4.54 and a beta of 3.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $28.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.41.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. The company had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vital Energy news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 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 $117,601.29. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at $962,141.49. This represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $207,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,022,335.88. The trade was a 9.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 in the last three months. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,214,295 shares of the company's stock worth $68,466,000 after buying an additional 118,367 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,116,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,442,000 after acquiring an additional 62,771 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 14.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,755,173 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,214,000 after purchasing an additional 220,871 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,395,883 shares of the company's stock worth $43,157,000 after purchasing an additional 9,676 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,392,000. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.