GAMMA Investing LLC Grows Stock Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 1,806.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,524 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 88,618 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.12% of National Vision worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of National Vision by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 382,016 shares of the company's stock worth $3,981,000 after buying an additional 11,281 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in National Vision during the fourth quarter valued at $247,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in National Vision by 34.4% during the 4th quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 63,264 shares of the company's stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 16,184 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of National Vision by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 523,591 shares of the company's stock worth $5,456,000 after acquiring an additional 12,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 30,934 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 6,100 shares during the period.

National Vision Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE traded up $0.84 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $22.35. 2,602,835 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,880,873. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $13.24. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $22.45. The stock has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -111.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $510.30 million. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded National Vision from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Vision has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.75.

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.