Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Down 4.7% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) were down 4.7% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $20.07 and last traded at $19.89. Approximately 159,420 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 1,104,444 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTLE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $23.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.09.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $16.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $754.97 million, a PE ratio of -5.76 and a beta of 1.59.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 10.34% and a negative net margin of 6.37%. The business had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other news, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. This trade represents a 13.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 5,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.09 per share, for a total transaction of $99,495.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 251,533 shares in the company, valued at $4,550,231.97. The trade was a 2.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $39,392,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in Vital Energy by 48.3% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 3,284,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,289 shares in the last quarter. Condire Management LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $19,066,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $15,995,000. Finally, Ancient Art L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the first quarter valued at about $7,109,000. 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.