National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.67.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on EYE shares. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 target price on shares of National Vision and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th.

National Vision Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of EYE traded up $0.64 on Friday, reaching $23.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,613,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,889,142. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. National Vision has a twelve month low of $9.56 and a twelve month high of $23.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -69.69, a PEG ratio of 6.51 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.88 and a 200-day moving average of $13.44.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. National Vision had a negative net margin of 1.40% and a positive return on equity of 3.44%. The company had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $510.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in National Vision by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in National Vision by 87.5% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after buying an additional 3,291 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in National Vision by 49.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $142,000.

About National Vision

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.