Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 31,317 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC has decreased its stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. by 52.0%, selling 31,317 shares, leaving it with 28,901 shares valued at $367,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including First Trust Advisors LP and MetLife Investment Management LLC, increased their stakes in National Vision during the fourth quarter.
• National Vision reported earnings of $0.18 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and showing a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year.

Hsbc Holdings PLC decreased its stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 52.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,901 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,317 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in National Vision were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 87.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 3,291 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 61.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 4,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter worth $147,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on EYE shares. Roth Capital started coverage on shares of National Vision in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. National Bankshares set a $30.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Vision news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,862.35. This trade represents a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

National Vision Stock Performance

NASDAQ EYE traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $23.48. 1,398,275 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,140,226. The business's fifty day moving average price is $24.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of -130.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.23. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $25.67.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $486.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current 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.