Woodline Partners LP Makes New $39.39 Million Investment in Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,274,011 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,392,000. Woodline Partners LP owned 3.34% of Vital Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Vital Energy by 5.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,116,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,442,000 after buying an additional 62,771 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Vital Energy by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,395,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,157,000 after acquiring an additional 9,676 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 637,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,727,000 after acquiring an additional 4,852 shares during the period. Finally, Condire Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Energy during the fourth quarter worth $19,066,000. Institutional investors own 86.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Vital Energy from $34.00 to $23.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Vital Energy from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Siebert Williams Shank cut Vital Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $62.00 to $27.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Vital Energy from $33.00 to $27.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $44.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.36.

Vital Energy Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Vital Energy stock opened at $15.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $599.74 million, a P/E ratio of -3.26 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Vital Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.30 and a 12-month high of $51.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $16.97 and its 200-day moving average is $25.99.

Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.26. Vital Energy had a negative net margin of 8.89% and a positive return on equity of 9.48%. The firm had revenue of $512.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.76 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Vital Energy, Inc. will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

In other Vital Energy news, COO Kathryn Anne Hill sold 5,673 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $962,141.49. The trade was a 10.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark David Denny sold 5,974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.73, for a total transaction of $123,841.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 42,494 shares in the company, valued at $880,900.62. The trade was a 12.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,647 shares of company stock worth $448,742. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Vital Energy 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.