Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $4.42 Million Holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Vital Farms by 27.5% in Q1, owning approximately 0.33% of the company, valued at $4.42 million.
• Several hedge funds increased their investments in Vital Farms, with 98.59% of the stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Research firms have recently set aggressive price targets for Vital Farms, with an average target of $48.20 and a consensus rating of "Buy."

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Free Report) by 27.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,137 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 31,329 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.33% of Vital Farms worth $4,422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 417.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,431,024 shares of the company's stock worth $91,625,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961,550 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,209,564 shares of the company's stock worth $36,855,000 after acquiring an additional 37,614 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 64.6% in the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,058,753 shares of the company's stock worth $39,904,000 after acquiring an additional 415,614 shares during the last quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 978,197 shares of the company's stock worth $29,806,000 after acquiring an additional 113,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 901,537 shares of the company's stock worth $33,978,000 after acquiring an additional 59,397 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Farms Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of VITL stock traded down $1.03 on Thursday, reaching $51.38. 856,218 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,215,191. The business's 50 day moving average price is $41.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.76. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $27.91 and a 12-month high of $53.13. The company has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.88 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, SVP Stephanie Coon sold 10,005 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 45,779 shares in the company, valued at $2,112,700.85. The trade was a 17.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Joanne Bal sold 4,796 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.95, for a total value of $244,356.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 43,332 shares in the company, valued at $2,207,765.40. This trade represents a 9.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 103,901 shares of company stock valued at $4,141,052. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VITL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their target price on Vital Farms from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, August 8th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Vital Farms from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Vital Farms from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $48.20.

Vital Farms 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.