National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Hits New 52-Week High - Here's Why

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

EYE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 target price on National Vision and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Five investment 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, the company presently has an average 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.64. The firm has a market cap of $1.79 billion, a PE ratio of -68.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $510.30 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.44% and a negative net margin of 1.40%. The firm's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Vision news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EYE. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in National Vision by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 7,221 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in National Vision by 282.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,843 shares of the company's stock worth $969,000 after purchasing an additional 56,017 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 4th quarter worth about $860,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in National Vision by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,411,838 shares of the company's stock valued at $108,491,000 after purchasing an additional 167,735 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 78,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 9,038 shares during the last quarter.

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.