380,498 Shares in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Bought by Highland Peak Capital LLC

Key Points

• Highland Peak Capital LLC has acquired 380,498 shares of National Vision Holdings, worth approximately $4.86 million, making it their 8th largest position.
• In the first quarter, several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Federated Hermes Inc., increased their stakes in National Vision, indicating growing confidence in the company.
• National Vision's stock opened at $24.81, with recent earnings exceeding analysts' expectations and a positive revenue growth of 5.7% compared to the previous year.

Highland Peak Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 380,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,863,000. National Vision accounts for about 3.6% of Highland Peak Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Highland Peak Capital LLC owned approximately 0.48% of National Vision at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,568,579 shares of the company's stock worth $135,066,000 after acquiring an additional 156,741 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company's stock worth $48,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715,582 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,702,371 shares of the company's stock worth $38,577,000 after acquiring an additional 30,235 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 127.5% in the 4th quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company's stock worth $26,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417,002 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 35.5% in the 1st quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 1,343,328 shares of the company's stock worth $17,168,000 after acquiring an additional 352,228 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital upped their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their target price on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 target price on National Vision and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Trading Down 6.3%

Shares of National Vision stock traded down $1.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $22.64. 2,546,444 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,143,530. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $25.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -125.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.52 and a 200-day moving average of $16.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 0.75%. The company had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.