216,077 Shares in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL Bought by Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Vital Farms, buying 216,077 shares valued at about $6.9 million, or roughly 0.48% of the company.
• Insider buying picked up recently, with Joseph Michael Holland and director Glenda J. Flanagan both purchasing shares; insiders bought 43,700 shares worth $413,114 over the last 90 days.
• Vital Farms reported mixed quarterly results: revenue rose 15.4% year over year to $187.16 million, but EPS came in at ($0.03), missing estimates. Analysts have turned more cautious, with several downgrades and an average rating of Hold.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 216,077 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,901,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.48% of Vital Farms as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 4,382.6% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 225.6% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,452 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Vital Farms by 896.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 2,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Joseph Michael Holland acquired 12,484 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.00 per share, for a total transaction of $99,872.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at $305,200. The trade was a 48.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Glenda J. Flanagan bought 6,100 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.33 per share, for a total transaction of $50,813.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 37,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $312,358.34. The trade was a 19.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 43,700 shares of company stock worth $413,114 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Vital Farms Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $10.07 on Tuesday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a one year low of $7.95 and a one year high of $53.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $431.50 million, a PE ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $11.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.33.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. Vital Farms's revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum cut Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $16.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday, May 4th. Benchmark downgraded Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $10.00 price objective (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.33.

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.

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