Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Down 2.8% – Time to Sell?

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) was down 2.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $38.11 and last traded at $38.23. Approximately 204,684 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 815,821 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VITL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Craig Hallum started coverage on Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $46.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

Vital Farms Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.35 and a beta of 0.94. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.21.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 22.29%. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.27 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 31.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vital Farms news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.19, for a total transaction of $916,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,038,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $268,815,209.10. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,531,574.43. This trade represents a 7.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 137,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,328,422 in the last three months. 27.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 4,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 4.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 6.5% during the third quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC raised its position in Vital Farms by 66.7% in the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Vital Farms by 180.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

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.