National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,850,000 shares, a decrease of 21.9% from the April 30th total of 7,490,000 shares. Approximately 7.6% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,300,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Insider Activity at National Vision

In other National Vision 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision in the first quarter worth $272,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in National Vision by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 235,125 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,005,000 after purchasing an additional 13,384 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in National Vision by 172.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 415,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,313,000 after purchasing an additional 263,308 shares during the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in National Vision during the 1st quarter valued at $142,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in National Vision by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 46,257 shares of the company's stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,948 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on EYE. Bank of America raised shares of National Vision from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 target price on shares of National Vision and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $13.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their target price 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Vision presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $17.75.

National Vision Stock Up 0.6%

EYE traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $21.32. 2,504,182 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,850,694. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $14.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.72. The company has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -106.59, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. National Vision has a fifty-two week low of $9.56 and a fifty-two week high of $21.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The company had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $510.30 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that National Vision will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.