Rhumbline Advisers Lowers Stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. by 4.7%, now holding approximately 229,779 shares valued at $2.94 million, according to its latest SEC filing.
• National Vision's recent earnings report showed earnings per share of $0.18, surpassing expectations of $0.12, with a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year to $486.42 million.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings and price targets for National Vision, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price averaging around $24.73.

Rhumbline Advisers cut its holdings in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 229,779 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,329 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned about 0.29% of National Vision worth $2,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EYE. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of National Vision by 44.4% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 7,221 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Vision in the first quarter worth about $467,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of National Vision by 49.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 2,412 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of National Vision by 282.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,843 shares of the company's stock worth $969,000 after acquiring an additional 56,017 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of National Vision during the 4th quarter worth about $860,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EYE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of National Vision in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Vision presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $24.73.

Insider Transactions at National Vision

In other National Vision 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 directly owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

National Vision Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of National Vision stock traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.92. The stock had a trading volume of 5,650,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,962,843. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $24.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $27.05. The firm has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -149.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.23.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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.