National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE Shares Bought by Woodline Partners LP

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. by 172.7%, owning 415,730 shares valued at approximately $5.3 million after purchasing over 263,000 additional shares.
• National Vision reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.18 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and showing a 7.7% increase in quarterly revenue compared to the previous year.
• Analyst ratings for National Vision include six "buy" ratings and four "hold" ratings, with a consensus target price of $24.73 per share.

Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 172.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 415,730 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 263,308 shares during the quarter. Woodline Partners LP owned about 0.53% of National Vision worth $5,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in National Vision in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in National Vision by 69.3% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Vision during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $142,000. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of National Vision by 61.2% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 4,362 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total value of $3,342,942.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EYE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price objective on National Vision and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Roth Capital started coverage on National Vision in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 target price on National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued 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 a consensus target price of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Performance

EYE traded up $0.42 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $24.03. 1,875,325 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,082,680. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -133.50, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.99. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year 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, beating 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 firm had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $469.21 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.15 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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 earnings per share 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.