Nomura Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Warby Parker Inc. $WRBY

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Warby Parker, purchasing 55,439 shares valued at approximately $1,011,000, representing about 0.05% of the company.
• Warby Parker currently enjoys a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a price target averaging $24.06 following multiple recent rating updates.
• Insider activity revealed significant sell-offs, with CEO Neil Harris Blumenthal selling 50,000 shares and a total of 106,000 shares sold by insiders over the last three months.

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Warby Parker Inc. (NYSE:WRBY - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 55,439 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,011,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned about 0.05% of Warby Parker at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in Warby Parker during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Comerica Bank raised its position in Warby Parker by 153.1% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,291 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 1,386 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Warby Parker during the first quarter worth about $58,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Warby Parker by 231.9% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,855 shares of the company's stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 4,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Warby Parker by 4,937.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the company's stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 6,665 shares during the last quarter. 93.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Teresa Briggs sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $141,360.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 44,879 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,057,349.24. This represents a 11.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Neil Harris Blumenthal sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.11, for a total transaction of $1,255,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 28,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at $711,793.17. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 106,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,607,280. Insiders own 18.24% of the company's stock.

Warby Parker Stock Up 3.2%

WRBY traded up $0.84 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $26.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,501,454 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,172,193. The company has a market capitalization of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -383.73 and a beta of 2.10. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $24.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.98. Warby Parker Inc. has a 52 week low of $13.22 and a 52 week high of $29.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WRBY. Wall Street Zen lowered Warby Parker from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday. Evercore ISI reissued a "positive" rating on shares of Warby Parker in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Citizens Jmp downgraded shares of Warby Parker from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Warby Parker from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $30.00 price target on Warby Parker and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Warby Parker has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.06.

About Warby Parker

Warby Parker Inc provides eyewear products in the United States and Canada. The company offers eyeglasses, sunglasses, light-responsive lenses, blue-light-filtering lenses, non-prescription lenses, and contact lenses. It also provides accessories, such as cases, lenses kit with anti-fog spray, pouches, and anti-fog lens spray through its retail stores, website, and mobile apps.