Woodline Partners LP Buys 263,308 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

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 raised its holdings in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 172.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 415,730 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 263,308 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP owned 0.53% of National Vision worth $5,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in National Vision by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 69.3% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake 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 last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 79,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 1,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 44,309 shares of the company's stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 1,677 shares during the last quarter.

National Vision Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE traded up $1.36 on Thursday, reaching $26.21. 1,302,914 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,076,807. The company has a fifty day moving average of $23.99 and a 200-day moving average of $19.06. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $9.56 and a twelve month high of $26.43. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -145.25, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The business's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EYE. Roth Capital began coverage on shares of National Vision in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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 boosted 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. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.73.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. This trade represents a 20.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

National Vision Company 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.