Piper Sandler Cuts Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $23.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its target price cut by Piper Sandler from $24.00 to $23.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Citigroup downgraded Vital Energy to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.36.

Vital Energy Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Vital Energy stock opened at $15.33 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $20.55 and its 200 day moving average is $27.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $593.30 million, a PE ratio of -3.23 and a beta of 2.82. Vital Energy has a 1 year low of $12.30 and a 1 year high of $55.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vital Energy news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,900.62. This represents a 12.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.75 per share, with a total value of $88,750.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at $764,528. This represents a 13.13 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vital Energy by 805.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Vital Energy by 276.9% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Vital Energy by 247.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares during the period. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.