National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• National Vision has been downgraded from a "buy" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, amid mixed sentiments from other analysts, with price targets ranging from $22.00 to $36.00.
• The company's stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $24.73, while it recently traded at $28.54.
• In recent insider trading, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares, resulting in a 20.14% decrease in his ownership of the company.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Friday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price objective on National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Roth Capital began coverage on National Vision in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Vision presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Performance

National Vision stock traded up $1.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.54. 1,680,057 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,062,123. National Vision has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $28.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -158.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $24.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.80.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 0.75%.The business had revenue of $486.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $469.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. National Vision's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that National Vision will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total value of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. The trade was a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in National Vision by 0.9% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 68,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 7.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,350 shares of the company's stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 4.9% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 11.7% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 11,463 shares of the company's stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 69.3% during the first 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 in the last quarter.

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.

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