Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,751 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,345 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in Vital Farms were worth $782,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VITL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 4.4% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Vital Farms by 87.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,414 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 1,124 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,728 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 613,797 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,115,595.02. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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. Insiders sold 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957 over the last three months. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VITL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Craig Hallum began coverage on Vital Farms in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen boosted 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. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $44.57.

Vital Farms Stock Down 2.2 %

VITL traded down $0.68 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 313,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 961,785. The stock's 50-day moving average is $38.21 and its 200-day moving average is $35.69. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $18.65 and a 1 year high of $48.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.95. 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 (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $165.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.32 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 8.68%. As a group, research analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

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.