We recently published a list of Why These Energy Stocks Are Losing This Week. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) stands against other energy stocks that are losing this week.
2024 was a tough year for the fossil fuel industry, with high volatility coming from factors such as geopolitical tensions, natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, and a dampening demand due to a global economic slowdown. As a result, fossil fuel stocks reported a return of 5.72% last year, compared to gains of over 23% by the broader market.
Connor Chung, an energy finance analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, stated:
“The traditional fossil fuel business model faces structural risks in a decarbonizing world, and the industry has yet to demonstrate a coherent response to this reality. Investors should take note that the industry has spent much of the last decade dragging down long-term investment portfolios.”
2025 isn’t looking very promising for the sector either, as it has become a victim of a trade war sparked by the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The president has doubled the planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50%, and this could have devastating effects on the American oilfield services industry, which heavily relies on these metals for their operations. The impact of the said levies will most likely be passed on to companies in the exploration and production segment, particularly smaller-scale producers who are more exposed to spot market pricing. To make matters worse, the tariffs come at a time when crude oil prices have plummeted to their lowest since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted global supply chains, further decreasing margins for a struggling industry.
Our Methodology
To collect data for this article, we have referred to several stock screeners to find energy stocks that have fallen the most between March 3 and March 10, 2025. The stocks are ranked according to their share price decline during this period.
At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Aerial view of an oil well and the rig in the Permian Basin, West Texas.
Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE)
Share Price Decline Between Mar. 3 and Mar. 10: 14.36%
Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) is an independent energy company exploring, acquiring, and developing sustainable energy-producing assets and technologies.
Vital Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTLE) had a tough Q4 2024, reporting a net loss of $359.4 million, with a non-cash impairment loss significantly impacting earnings, despite achieving a record production level. The company’s revenue of $534.37 million during the quarter was up 20.2% YoY but still fell below market expectations. Moreover, Vital’s 2025 guidance also disappointed analysts, as the company expects total production of 137 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (mboed), approximately 3% lower than earlier projections, due to operational delays and the underperformance of a seven-well development package in Upton County.
Overall, VTLE ranks 8th on our list of energy stocks that are losing this week. While we acknowledge the potential for energy stocks, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VTLE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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