National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $23.33 and last traded at $22.46, with a volume of 2907769 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price objective on shares of National Vision and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.67.

National Vision Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a PE ratio of -69.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.24.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EYE. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in National Vision by 69.3% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in National Vision by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,470 shares of the company's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in National Vision by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 45,211 shares of the company's stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 1,394 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in National Vision by 2.0% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 79,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,020,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares during the period.

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.