Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Given New $27.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Piper Sandler from $35.00 to $27.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 7.82% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.00.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of Vital Energy stock traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $29.29. 344,084 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 897,589. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 3.19. Vital Energy has a 52 week low of $25.85 and a 52 week high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.15. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.09%. The company had revenue of $459.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $461.58 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 2,023 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total transaction of $61,135.06. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 29,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $879,130.02. This trade represents a 6.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total value of $285,400.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 77,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,306.64. The trade was a 11.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. nVerses Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2,590.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,943 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 234.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.