Vital Farms, Inc. (VITL) - What Are Analysts Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts remain cautious: Vital Farms has a consensus “Hold” rating from 14 brokerages, with five buys, eight holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $16.91.
• Shares are trading well below recent highs: VITL opened at $9.34, compared with a 12-month range of $7.95 to $42.42, while its 50-day and 200-day moving averages stood at $10.44 and $11.25, respectively.
• Recent results were mixed: The company matched quarterly EPS expectations at a loss of $0.47, while revenue of $166.03 million exceeded estimates but declined 10.2% year over year. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the stock.

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the fourteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $16.91.

VITL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Vital Farms from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 target price on Vital Farms in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on Vital Farms from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Vital Farms Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ VITL opened at $9.34 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $10.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.25. Vital Farms has a 12 month low of $7.95 and a 12 month high of $42.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $400.97 million, a P/E ratio of -233.50 and a beta of 1.08.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.47). Vital Farms had a net margin of 0.02% and a return on equity of 3.46%. The business had revenue of $166.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $160.24 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.36 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $60,153,000. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $31,933,000 after acquiring an additional 2,153,775 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $30,400,000 after acquiring an additional 632,537 shares in the last quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Vital Farms by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 685,000 shares of the company's stock worth $21,879,000 after purchasing an additional 162,500 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Vital Farms by 46.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,405,032 shares of the company's stock worth $19,836,000 after purchasing an additional 447,728 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company's stock.

About Vital Farms

Vital Farms, Inc NASDAQ: VITL is a food company that produces and markets pasture-raised eggs and other ethically sourced food products. Its portfolio includes pasture-raised eggs, egg bites, hard-boiled eggs, butter and ghee, sold under the Vital Farms brand.

Founded in 2007, the company works with a network of family farms that follow its animal-care standards. Vital Farms emphasizes outdoor access for hens, traceability and responsible farming practices, and markets its products as alternatives to conventional eggs and dairy offerings.

Vital Farms serves consumers primarily through grocery retailers and other food channels across the United States.

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