Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Vital Farms by 1.8%, now holding 2,196,810 shares valued at approximately $66.94 million.
• Institutional ownership of Vital Farms stands at 98.59%, with several firms increasing their positions and new investors entering the market during the first quarter.
• Vital Farms reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with $0.36 EPS surpassing estimates, and revenue rising by 25.4% year-over-year to $184.77 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,196,810 shares of the company's stock after selling 40,038 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 4.93% of Vital Farms worth $66,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Vital Farms by 36.2% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Vital Farms by 43.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Vital Farms in the 1st quarter valued at about $112,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in Vital Farms in the 1st quarter valued at about $130,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VITL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Lake Street Capital set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $48.20.

Vital Farms Trading Down 0.6%

VITL traded down $0.29 on Friday, reaching $51.09. 952,879 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,216,786. The company's 50 day moving average is $41.52 and its 200-day moving average is $35.87. The company has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.62 and a beta of 0.94. Vital Farms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.91 and a twelve month high of $53.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.48.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $184.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $170.28 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 7.84% and a return on equity of 18.40%. The company's revenue was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. Vital Farms has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Thilo Wrede sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.93, for a total transaction of $38,316.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,823,745.81. The trade was a 2.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Stephanie Coon sold 10,005 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.15, for a total value of $461,730.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 45,779 shares in the company, valued at $2,112,700.85. This trade represents a 17.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 103,901 shares of company stock worth $4,141,052 in the last ninety days. 21.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.