National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Bought by Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust lifted its stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 29.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 626,442 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 143,556 shares during the quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned about 0.80% of National Vision worth $8,006,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in National Vision by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 7,221 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $467,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 2,412 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in National Vision by 282.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,843 shares of the company's stock worth $969,000 after buying an additional 56,017 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in National Vision in the 4th quarter worth approximately $860,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EYE has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays raised shares of National Vision from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $17.00 to $30.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National Vision currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $22.10.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $25.26. 2,364,035 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,913,154. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $9.56 and a 1 year high of $25.52. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a P/E ratio of -76.54, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.87 and a two-hundred 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 (EPS) 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 positive return on equity of 3.44% and a negative net margin of 1.40%. The business's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. Equities analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at National Vision

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.