Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $26.65 and last traded at $27.30, with a volume of 2861164 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $27.46.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VITL shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Vital Farms from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.91.

Vital Farms Trading Down 5.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $31.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.50 and a beta of 1.11.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $198.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $191.35 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 20.19%. The business’s revenue was up 37.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.85, for a total value of $771,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,361,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $196,242,711.50. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $586,526.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,771,424.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 101,734 shares of company stock valued at $3,350,177. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Vital Farms in the third quarter worth about $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 896.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,330 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 18.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol VITL, is a U.S.-based food company specializing in pasture-raised egg and dairy products. The company partners with a network of family farms across the United States to produce eggs, butter and related items under a certified humane, pasture-centric farming model. Vital Farms’ supply chain emphasizes animal welfare, environmental stewardship and transparent sourcing, appealing to consumers seeking ethically produced, high-quality ingredients.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms began by marketing pasture-raised eggs to health- and ethically minded shoppers.