Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 156,741 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in National Vision Holdings by 1.5%, owning approximately 13.37% of the company valued at $135 million after adding 156,741 shares during Q1.
• National Vision recently reported a quarterly EPS of $0.18, exceeding estimates, with revenue reaching $486.42 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 7.7%.
• Several analysts have upgraded their ratings on National Vision, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price around $24.73, indicating positive outlook for the stock.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,568,579 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 156,741 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 13.37% of National Vision worth $135,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in National Vision during the 1st quarter worth $972,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in National Vision by 215.0% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 861,527 shares of the company's stock worth $11,010,000 after acquiring an additional 588,022 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in National Vision during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in National Vision by 26.7% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 124,485 shares of the company's stock worth $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 26,270 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in National Vision by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 20,231 shares of the company's stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 4,305 shares during the period.

National Vision Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of EYE traded down $0.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $24.39. The stock had a trading volume of 2,450,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,254,571. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -135.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.27. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $486.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $469.21 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 0.75%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price target on National Vision and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America increased their price target on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Loop Capital increased their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $24.73.

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.