Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.24, but opened at $14.75. Vital Energy shares last traded at $14.81, with a volume of 129,677 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VTLE shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.08.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.90. The stock has a market cap of $560.79 million, a P/E ratio of -3.05 and a beta of 2.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

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

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 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 value of $117,601.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This represents a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Richard D. Campbell bought 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.75 per share, for a total transaction of $88,750.00. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 43,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,528. This represents a 13.13 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742 over the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. 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.