Anchor Capital Management Company LLC Has $16.20 Million Stock Position in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Key Points

• Anchor Capital Management increased its Vital Farms stake by 41.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 507,320 shares valued at about $16.2 million. The holding now represents roughly 14.4% of the firm’s portfolio and its fourth-largest position.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and institutional ownership stands at 98.59% of Vital Farms shares. Vanguard, Wasatch, Principal Financial, State Street, and Pictet all reported significant buying activity.
• Analysts are more cautious on the stock: recent downgrades helped leave Vital Farms with a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $27.33. The company also recently reported a quarterly EPS miss despite revenue topping estimates.

Anchor Capital Management Company LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) by 41.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 507,320 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 149,661 shares during the period. Vital Farms comprises approximately 14.4% of Anchor Capital Management Company LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Anchor Capital Management Company LLC owned about 1.13% of Vital Farms worth $16,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VITL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,845,714 shares of the company's stock worth $90,892,000 after buying an additional 530,008 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,687,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,831,000 after buying an additional 324,725 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,520,471 shares of the company's stock worth $48,564,000 after purchasing an additional 142,790 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Vital Farms by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,293,788 shares of the company's stock worth $41,324,000 after purchasing an additional 508,222 shares during the period. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Vital Farms by 79.4% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,173,263 shares of the company's stock worth $37,474,000 after purchasing an additional 519,369 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on VITL shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho set a $20.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.33.

Vital Farms Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Vital Farms stock opened at $10.70 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $11.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.67. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.95 and a 1 year high of $53.13. The stock has a market cap of $458.50 million, a PE ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 1.09.

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

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Joseph Michael Holland bought 12,484 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $99,872.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 38,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $305,200. This trade represents a 48.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephanie Coon bought 5,895 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.42 per share, with a total value of $49,635.90. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 62,314 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $524,683.88. This represents a 10.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired 38,700 shares of company stock worth $320,864 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Vital Farms 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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