Fortis Group Advisors LLC Buys New Stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 41,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $533,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of National Vision as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in National Vision by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company's stock worth $48,719,000 after buying an additional 2,715,582 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP increased 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 worth $26,342,000 after buying an additional 1,417,002 shares during the period. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of National Vision in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $12,594,000. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Vision in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $11,827,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,459 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EYE remained flat at $25.09 on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 1,833,917 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,911,159. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $25.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.28. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -76.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 1.27.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $510.30 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.44% and a negative net margin of 1.40%. National Vision's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on EYE. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded National Vision from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $17.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.10.

National Vision Profile

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.