Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s What Happened

Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $25.76 and last traded at $25.01, with a volume of 388702 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VTLE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Vital Energy from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Vital Energy from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Vital Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Vital Energy from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Vital Energy from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.70.

Vital Energy Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $908.04 million, a P/E ratio of -5.01 and a beta of 3.12. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.12.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $2.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.27. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $550.90 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTLE. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 805.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 915 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vital Energy by 276.9% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 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.