Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Trading Down 3.6% - Here's Why

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) were down 3.6% on Monday . The company traded as low as $38.62 and last traded at $38.88. Approximately 157,918 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 721,219 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen raised Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.20.

Vital Farms Trading Down 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.50 and a quick ratio of 3.03. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $33.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.65. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.70 and a beta of 0.97.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $147.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.41 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.77% and a net margin of 8.70%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 38.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total value of $1,789,245.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 537,349 shares in the company, valued at $21,531,574.43. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 27.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at $635,000. nVerses Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 130.0% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 4,600 shares of the company's stock worth $161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,333,000. Kings Path Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 37.5% in the third quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC now owns 22,140 shares of the company's stock valued at $776,000 after buying an additional 6,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clean Yield Group lifted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 5,415.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 30,224 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,060,000 after acquiring an additional 29,676 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.