JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Price Target to $23.00

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $34.00 to $23.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 8.57% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Vital Energy from $32.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Raymond James cut their price target on Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Siebert Williams Shank downgraded 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 research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wolfe Research upgraded Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Vital Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.46.

Vital Energy Stock Up 6.1 %

VTLE stock opened at $21.19 on Thursday. Vital Energy has a fifty-two week low of $19.85 and a fifty-two week high of $58.30. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $30.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.78. The company has a market capitalization of $807.59 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 3.07.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $534.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $550.90 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Vital Energy will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total value of $117,601.29. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 46,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $962,141.49. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Bryan Lemmerman sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 97,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,022,335.88. This represents a 9.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,647 shares of company stock valued at $448,742 in the last ninety days. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,214,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,466,000 after purchasing an additional 118,367 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,116,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,442,000 after purchasing an additional 62,771 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,755,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,214,000 after purchasing an additional 220,871 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Vital Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,395,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,157,000 after purchasing an additional 9,676 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Vital Energy in the 4th quarter worth $39,392,000. 86.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.