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

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.80 and last traded at $21.66, with a volume of 502536 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $21.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on EYE shares. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America raised shares of National Vision from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Loop Capital increased 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $17.75.

National Vision Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of -107.54, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.24.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 0.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The business had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $510.30 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Vision news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $219,375. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 1,298 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 45,211 shares of the company's stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 1,394 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 79,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $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.