Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $24.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target decreased by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $36.00 to $24.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 6.85% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Siebert Williams Shank lowered shares of Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $62.00 to $27.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.54.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Shares of VTLE stock traded down $0.74 on Tuesday, hitting $22.46. 286,153 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,058,595. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $856.24 million, a P/E ratio of -4.73 and a beta of 3.07. Vital Energy has a 12 month low of $19.85 and a 12 month high of $58.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $29.24 and a 200 day moving average of $29.57.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Energy

In related news, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $207,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 97,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,022,335.88. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 46,413 shares in the company, valued at $962,141.49. The trade was a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VTLE. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 276.9% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Vital Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 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.