Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Sees Large Volume Increase - Still a Buy?

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 759,657 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 1% from the previous session's volume of 752,867 shares.The stock last traded at $31.66 and had previously closed at $36.87.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson raised their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen raised Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Vital Farms from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $39.50.

Vital Farms Trading Down 15.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 3.03, a current ratio of 3.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.66 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.58.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.16. The company 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%. Vital Farms's revenue for the quarter was up 38.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.15 EPS. Research analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total value of $938,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,194,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $281,243,832.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total transaction of $938,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,194,777 shares in the company, valued at $281,243,832.93. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 537,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,531,574.43. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 27.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 8.6% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,095 shares of the company's stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Vital Farms by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,857 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,846 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 162.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 66.7% during the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 800 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.

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