Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $24.0833.

VITL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Vital Farms from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price objective on Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price objective on Vital Farms in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

NASDAQ VITL opened at $12.76 on Monday. Vital Farms has a one year low of $7.95 and a one year high of $53.13. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $546.77 million, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.07.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vital Farms will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Glenda J. Flanagan acquired 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.33 per share, with a total value of $50,813.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 37,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $312,358.34. The trade was a 19.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephanie Coon acquired 5,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.42 per share, for a total transaction of $49,635.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 62,314 shares in the company, valued at $524,683.88. The trade was a 10.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 38,700 shares of company stock valued at $320,864. 3.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,845,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,892,000 after buying an additional 530,008 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,687,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,831,000 after buying an additional 324,725 shares during the period. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 1,998.7% in the 1st quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 2,261,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,933,000 after buying an additional 2,153,775 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,153,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,400,000 after buying an additional 632,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Vital Farms by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,047,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,412,000 after acquiring an additional 26,150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Farms

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.