Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Purchased by Emerald Advisers LLC

Emerald Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 864,323 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 157,883 shares during the quarter. Vital Farms accounts for about 1.3% of Emerald Advisers LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Emerald Advisers LLC owned approximately 1.97% of Vital Farms worth $32,576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 160.3% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Farms during the fourth quarter worth about $62,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Vital Farms by 29.4% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 191.2% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,814 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Vital Farms stock traded down $0.73 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.27. 641,753 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 989,086. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $35.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.63. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.04 and a 1 year high of $48.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.03 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a current ratio of 3.24.

Remove Ads

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.08. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 22.29%. The business had revenue of $165.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.32 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In related news, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total value of $517,584.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 46,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,944,222.24. This represents a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.39, for a total transaction of $125,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,966,890 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $218,690,677.10. This represents a 0.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 145,474 shares of company stock valued at $5,969,700 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VITL shares. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $42.00.

About Vital Farms

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.