First Eagle Investment Management LLC Makes New $5.46 Million Investment in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 144,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,464,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 0.33% of Vital Farms at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VITL. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter valued at $789,000. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,473,000. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 27.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL now owns 21,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 4,602 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 882.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 20,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $713,000 after buying an additional 18,252 shares during the period. Finally, Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 58,193 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,041,000 after buying an additional 8,214 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vital Farms Price Performance

NASDAQ:VITL traded down $0.04 on Thursday, reaching $29.52. 1,046,101 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 985,644. The company has a quick ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $35.65. The firm has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36 and a beta of 0.95. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $22.51 and a 12 month high of $48.41.

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

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other news, insider Joanne Bal sold 28,246 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.10, for a total value of $1,273,894.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 59,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,677,632.10. The trade was a 32.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total value of $517,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 46,203 shares in the company, valued at $1,944,222.24. This trade represents a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 121,474 shares of company stock valued at $5,254,940. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. TD Cowen lifted their target price 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 set a $52.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.71.

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.