Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) PT Lowered to $31.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $45.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 17.34% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Vital Energy from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.00.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VTLE opened at $26.42 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $38.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.68. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $26.02 and a 1-year high of $58.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.51 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 3.17.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.88 by ($0.42). Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. The business had revenue of $476.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.76 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 42.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $37.85 per share, for a total transaction of $94,625.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,411,373.65. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 117.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,325,000 after purchasing an additional 27,656 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,265 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Vital Energy by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 198,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,042,000 after buying an additional 64,881 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Vital Energy by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 801,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,445,000 after buying an additional 71,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vital Energy by 42.8% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 128,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,867,000 after buying an additional 38,669 shares during the period. 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.