Insider Selling: Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) EVP Sells 5,974 Shares of Stock

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 42,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $880,900.62. This trade represents a 12.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Vital Energy Trading Down 7.5 %

NYSE VTLE traded down $1.61 on Thursday, hitting $19.98. 1,335,512 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 942,447. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.98 and a twelve month high of $58.30. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $30.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $761.58 million, a P/E ratio of -4.21 and a beta of 3.07.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. Analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on VTLE shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Williams Trading set a $27.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of 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, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.46.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in Vital Energy by 2.8% during 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 in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Vital Energy by 3.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake 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 valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ClearAlpha Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of 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 buying 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.