Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $34.00 to $36.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 1.39% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also commented on VTLE. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wolfe Research raised Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Vital Energy from $48.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.36.

Vital Energy Price Performance

Vital Energy stock opened at $36.51 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 3.16. Vital Energy has a 12-month low of $25.85 and a 12-month high of $58.30.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $459.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $461.58 million. Vital Energy had a net margin of 25.09% and a return on equity of 9.05%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.16 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vital Energy will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Vital Energy by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 6,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 14,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Vital Energy by 2.7% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $414,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position 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 worth $390,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 1.7% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 32,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,447,000 after buying an additional 527 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.