Legato Capital Management LLC Takes Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 58,160 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $743,000. Legato Capital Management LLC owned 0.07% of National Vision at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 7,221 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in shares of National Vision during the 1st quarter worth about $467,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in National Vision by 282.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,843 shares of the company's stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 56,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in National Vision in the 4th quarter valued at about $860,000.

National Vision Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ EYE traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.02. 1,390,162 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,016,429. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $25.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $22.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.79. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -75.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup upgraded shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of National Vision from $15.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Vision has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $23.00.

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.