Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $27.00 to $32.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 4.35% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VTLE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.90.

Vital Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of VTLE stock opened at $33.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.75. Vital Energy has a 52-week low of $25.85 and a 52-week high of $58.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 3.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

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. Vital Energy had a return on equity of 9.05% and a net margin of 25.09%. The company had revenue of $459.23 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $461.58 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.16 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Vital Energy will post 7.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Vital Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 247.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 2,590.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 1,943 shares during the last quarter. 86.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.