Piper Sandler Cuts Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $25.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target cut by analysts at Piper Sandler from $30.00 to $25.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s price target indicates a potential upside of 47.89% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on VTLE. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Vital Energy in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Vital Energy from $22.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Mizuho upped their price target on Vital Energy from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Vital Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Vital Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VTLE stock traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $16.91. 155,156 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,221,326. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $12.30 and a fifty-two week high of $36.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $654.05 million, a P/E ratio of -0.85 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $16.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.77.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.07). Vital Energy had a positive return on equity of 11.86% and a negative net margin of 38.52%.The company had revenue of $420.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $458.87 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 27.0% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 85,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,814,000 after buying an additional 18,171 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vital Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,162,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,895,000 after acquiring an additional 46,300 shares in the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Vital Energy in the first quarter worth about $3,961,000. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 939.7% in the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 261,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,554,000 after acquiring an additional 236,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 16.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 588,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,492,000 after purchasing an additional 83,788 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

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.