Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Hits New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $28.82 and last traded at $29.20, with a volume of 180603 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VITL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $47.00 price objective on Vital Farms and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.91.

Vital Farms Stock Down 0.1%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.34 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.15.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.92, for a total value of $798,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,422,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,992,474.40. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 101,734 shares of company stock valued at $3,350,177 in the last 90 days. 21.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VITL. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 80.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,074,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,921,000 after acquiring an additional 923,507 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Vital Farms by 97.4% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,234,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,534,000 after purchasing an additional 608,723 shares during the period. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its position in Vital Farms by 131.7% during the third quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 993,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,876,000 after purchasing an additional 564,711 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 159.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 840,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,587,000 after purchasing an additional 516,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Vital Farms by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,687,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,017,000 after purchasing an additional 444,402 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

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.