New York State Teachers Retirement System Acquires 7,716 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

New York State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) by 42.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,742 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,716 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in National Vision were worth $592,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in National Vision in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in National Vision by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in National Vision in the 2nd quarter valued at about $83,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in National Vision in the 2nd quarter valued at about $128,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in National Vision by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of National Vision in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of National Vision in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Vision presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ EYE opened at $25.70 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -142.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.30. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $29.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $25.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.64.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The firm had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $469.21 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Vision news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. The trade was a 20.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

National Vision Company Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America’s Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.