Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $20.55 and last traded at $21.02, with a volume of 151524 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $20.94.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VTLE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho increased their price target on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.27.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $802.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.43 and a beta of 3.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.74 and its 200 day moving average is $30.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $550.90 million. Research analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in Vital Energy by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 3.6% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 14,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Vital Energy by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ClearAlpha Technologies LP lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Energy

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.