Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL is Anchor Capital Management Company LLC’s 4th Largest Position

Anchor Capital Management Company LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 41.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 507,320 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 149,661 shares during the period. Vital Farms accounts for about 14.4% of Anchor Capital Management Company LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Anchor Capital Management Company LLC’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $16,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Vital Farms by 4,382.6% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the third quarter worth about $55,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Vital Farms by 225.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VITL. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, May 8th. William Blair restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Glenda J. Flanagan bought 6,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.33 per share, for a total transaction of $50,813.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 37,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $312,358.34. This trade represents a 19.43% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Peter Nicholas Pappas bought 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.51 per share, for a total transaction of $29,785.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 85,169 shares in the company, valued at $724,788.19. The trade was a 4.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 38,700 shares of company stock valued at $320,864. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $10.70 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $458.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.67. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.95 and a 1-year high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $187.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 EPS for the current year.

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.