Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down to $27.70

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $27.70, but opened at $26.91. Vital Energy shares last traded at $27.06, with a volume of 76,326 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VTLE shares. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $69.00 to $66.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Vital Energy from $45.00 to $31.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. 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. KeyCorp cut shares of Vital Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, 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 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.45.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $35.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.51. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $968.92 million, a PE ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 3.17.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by ($0.42). The company had revenue of $476.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.76 million. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 42.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.35 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 6.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $37.85 per share, with a total value of $94,625.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 169,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,411,373.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 400.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Vital Energy by 39.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its holdings in Vital Energy by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $147,000. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the first quarter valued at about $206,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.