Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC Takes Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC purchased 120,094 shares of National Vision Holdings, valued at approximately $1.54 million, now owning about 0.15% of the company.
• National Vision recently reported $0.18 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.12, with revenue up by 7.7% year-over-year.
• Insider Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares at an average price of $24.33, reducing his stake by 20.14% in a recent transaction.

Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 120,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,535,000. Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC owned 0.15% of National Vision at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of National Vision by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company's stock worth $48,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715,582 shares in the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP boosted its position in National Vision by 127.5% during the fourth quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417,002 shares in the last quarter. SG Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in National Vision during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,827,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in National Vision by 215.0% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 861,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,010,000 after buying an additional 588,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of National Vision by 141.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 993,558 shares of the company's stock worth $12,718,000 after purchasing an additional 582,353 shares during the last quarter.

National Vision Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ EYE traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $22.77. 1,139,737 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,102,445. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -126.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.23. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $25.67. The business's fifty day moving average price is $24.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.61.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. The trade was a 20.14% 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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EYE. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

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.