Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 40.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,401 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,337 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.07% of National Vision worth $587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of EYE. Engine Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 127.5% during the 4th quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company's stock worth $26,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417,002 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 528,287 shares of the company's stock worth $5,505,000 after purchasing an additional 22,886 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 46.0% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 425,788 shares of the company's stock worth $4,437,000 after purchasing an additional 134,179 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 26.5% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 847,118 shares of the company's stock worth $8,827,000 after purchasing an additional 177,451 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,470 shares of the company's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

National Vision Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of EYE traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,518,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,813,467. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $19.49. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $13.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.30. The company has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -94.25, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on EYE. Barclays increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upgraded shares of National Vision from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.