Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $36.00 to $24.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 6.79% from the company’s previous close.

VTLE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial cut their price target on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded shares of Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup lowered shares of Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.54.

Vital Energy Trading Up 0.6 %

VTLE opened at $22.48 on Tuesday. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $19.85 and a 1-year high of $58.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $856.77 million, a PE ratio of -4.73 and a beta of 3.07.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 9.48% and a negative net margin of 8.89%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In related news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of Vital Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $880,900.62. The trade was a 12.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at $962,141.49. The trade was a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in Vital Energy by 3.6% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Vital Energy by 3.4% during 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 during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. ClearAlpha Technologies LP now owns 13,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank increased its position in Vital Energy by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 12,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

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.