Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Purchases 71,702 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of Kentucky increased its stake in National Vision by 300.4%, buying 71,702 shares to hold 95,567 shares worth about $2.79 million (≈0.12% ownership) after the third quarter.
• National Vision beat Q4 estimates on both EPS ($0.15 vs. ~$0.05–$0.06) and revenue, set FY2026 EPS guidance of $0.85–$1.09 (above consensus), but its revenue guidance and lingering negative net margin/liquidity metrics have created mixed investor sentiment despite a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $29.62 price target.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 300.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 95,567 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 71,702 shares during the quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned 0.12% of National Vision worth $2,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Vision during the third quarter worth $29,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in National Vision during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in National Vision by 333.3% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 3,900 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management bought a new position in National Vision during the third quarter worth about $93,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in National Vision by 14.7% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,431 shares of the company's stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on EYE shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on National Vision from $41.00 to $39.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on National Vision from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of National Vision in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.62.

Key Headlines Impacting National Vision

Here are the key news stories impacting National Vision this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Beat consensus on both EPS and revenue — Q4 EPS $0.15 vs. ~ $0.05–$0.06 estimate and revenue $503.4M vs. ~$495M; revenue rose ~15% year-over-year, showing healthy top-line growth. Business Wire: Q4 and Fiscal 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $0.85–$1.09 is above consensus (~$0.81), signaling management expects continued earnings improvement. Guidance in press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Management narrative and supplemental materials (slide deck, call transcript) provide detail on the company’s “reinvention” initiatives and margin recovery plan — useful for modeling whether guidance is conservative or realistic. Earnings call transcript Slide deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst write-ups and summaries (Zacks, Yahoo, MarketBeat) corroborate the beats and point investors to key metrics; review if consensus will shift after management commentary. Zacks: Key metrics vs estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance range ($2.0B–$2.1B) was interpreted as soft relative to Street expectations at the midpoint/low end, prompting selling despite the EPS beat. Investors focused on the revenue outlook as a near-term growth risk. Investing.com: Beats but shares edge down on soft guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and liquidity remain areas of concern — a slight negative net margin (-0.12% in the quarter) and low current/quick ratios noted in public filings/analytic summaries may keep some investors cautious until margins sustainably improve. MarketBeat: Earnings summary & metrics

National Vision Trading Up 9.0%

NASDAQ:EYE opened at $29.04 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -967.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.38. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $10.45 and a twelve month high of $30.02. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.10. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.12% and a positive return on equity of 3.58%. The business had revenue of $503.41 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $495.26 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.04) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. National Vision has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.850-1.090 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

National Vision Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc is an American optical retailer specializing in accessible vision care and eyewear. The company operates under multiple retail banners, offering comprehensive eye health services and a wide range of optical products. Since its founding in the early 1990s, National Vision has focused on providing value-driven solutions, targeting underserved and price‐conscious consumer segments.

Through its primary retail brands—including America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Optical America and Vista Optical—National Vision delivers services such as comprehensive eye examinations, prescription eyewear, contact lenses, sunglasses and lens accessories.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.