Emerald Advisers LLC Raises Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Emerald Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 35.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,343,328 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 352,228 shares during the period. Emerald Advisers LLC owned about 1.71% of National Vision worth $17,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in National Vision by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $147,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC purchased a new stake in National Vision in the 4th quarter worth approximately $150,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in National Vision in the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,000.

Insider Transactions at National Vision

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on EYE shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price objective on shares of National Vision and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.10.

National Vision Trading Up 1.4%

National Vision stock traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $24.81. The stock had a trading volume of 380,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,903,078. The stock has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of -75.07, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.27. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $25.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.94.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $510.30 million. National Vision had a negative net margin of 1.40% and a positive return on equity of 3.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. Analysts forecast that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.