Barclays Lowers National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Price Target to $28.00

Key Points

• Barclays has reduced its price target for National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) from $30.00 to $28.00, while maintaining an "overweight" rating on the stock, indicating a potential upside of 16.74% from the stock's previous close.
• In recent ratings, Wall Street Zen downgraded National Vision from "buy" to "hold," whereas Loop Capital and Goldman Sachs have provided mixed views, with price targets of $20.00 and $17.00 respectively.
• National Vision reported earnings per share of $0.34 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and marking a 5.7% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Barclays from $30.00 to $28.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target points to a potential upside of 16.74% from the stock's previous close.

EYE has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of National Vision from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on National Vision from $15.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.00.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of National Vision stock opened at $23.98 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. National Vision has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $25.67. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $23.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.65. The company has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -72.62, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.27.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $510.30 million. National Vision had a negative net margin of 1.40% and a positive return on equity of 3.44%. The business's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that National Vision will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at National Vision

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of National Vision in the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in National Vision by 69.3% during the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of National Vision in the second quarter valued at $83,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in National Vision by 87.5% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 3,291 shares during the last quarter.

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.

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