National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $25.60, but opened at $23.28. National Vision shares last traded at $23.4120, with a volume of 309,367 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EYE. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on National Vision from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of National Vision in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of National Vision in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.91.

National Vision Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -804.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $25.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.88.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.01. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 3.58%. The business had revenue of $487.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $472.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. National Vision has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.620-0.700 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total value of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 544,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Vision

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of EYE. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in National Vision by 14.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of National Vision by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 68,819 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,583,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 23,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $675,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of National Vision by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in National Vision in the third quarter worth $29,000.

About National Vision

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.