LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Makes New Investment in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 83,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,134,000. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. owned approximately 0.19% of Vital Farms as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,171,950 shares of the company's stock worth $44,172,000 after acquiring an additional 516,139 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $16,464,000. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 106.8% in the third quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 706,440 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,775,000 after purchasing an additional 364,837 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter valued at approximately $9,894,000. Finally, Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 93.9% during the 3rd quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust now owns 531,676 shares of the company's stock worth $18,646,000 after purchasing an additional 257,492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on VITL. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $44.57.

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Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joanne Bal sold 28,246 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,677,632.10. This represents a 32.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,728 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.66, for a total transaction of $1,684,456.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 613,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,115,595.02. The trade was a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vital Farms Stock Down 1.3 %

VITL traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $30.39. 1,034,310 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 964,493. The company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.65 and a 12-month high of $48.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.21 and a 200 day moving average of $35.69.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $160.32 million. Analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vital Farms Company Profile

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.