Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target Lowered to $40.00 at BMO Capital Markets

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $48.00 to $40.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price indicates a potential upside of 30.04% from the stock’s previous close.

VTLE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $52.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Vital Energy from $41.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $55.00 to $42.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.17.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VTLE traded up $0.50 on Friday, reaching $30.76. The stock had a trading volume of 712,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 909,493. 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 company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 3.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.68. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $25.94 and a 1-year high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released 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 business had revenue of $476.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.76 million. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 11.58% and a net margin of 13.97%. Vital Energy’s revenue was up 42.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.35 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 6.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other news, CEO M. Jason Pigott acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were 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 directly owns 169,389 shares in the company, valued at $6,411,373.65. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 52.8% during the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 113,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,156,000 after acquiring an additional 39,147 shares during the last quarter. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $429,000. CastleKnight Management LP grew its position in shares of Vital Energy by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. CastleKnight Management LP now owns 59,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,707,000 after buying an additional 4,700 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $826,000. Finally, Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Goehring & Rozencwajg Associates LLC now owns 45,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,059,000 after acquiring an additional 2,165 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.