Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $34.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $35.00 to $34.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential upside of 21.30% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also commented on VTLE. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $66.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.00.

Vital Energy Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of VTLE stock opened at $28.03 on Tuesday. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $25.85 and a 12-month high of $58.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $29.79 and a 200-day moving average of $35.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 3.19.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $459.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.58 million. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.22, for a total value of $155,481.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,358 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $796,538.76. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.54, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 11.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,168 shares of company stock valued at $502,017. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 400.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the third quarter worth about $26,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 2,590.7% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 234.2% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is currently 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.