Northern Trust Corp Has $11.57 Million Stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in National Vision Holdings by 4.9%, acquiring an additional 42,427 shares to hold a total of 904,908 shares valued at approximately $11.57 million.
• National Vision reported strong earnings, with $0.18 EPS exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.12, and revenues of $486.42 million for the last quarter.
• Several analysts have upgraded National Vision's rating, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 904,908 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 42,427 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.14% of National Vision worth $11,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 156,741 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in National Vision by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,996,104 shares of the company's stock worth $63,850,000 after purchasing an additional 320,565 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 1,417,002 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in National Vision by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,776,285 shares of the company's stock worth $22,701,000 after purchasing an additional 193,154 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 352,228 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on EYE. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price objective on shares of National Vision and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ EYE traded down $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.62. 1,036,585 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,950,828. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.56 and a 12 month high of $25.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.66. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -125.67, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.23.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Vision news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About National Vision

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.