National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Sets New 1-Year High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• National Vision's stock reached a new 52-week high at $26.19, up from a previous close of $24.85, with a trading volume of 183,731 shares.
• Several analysts have revised their price targets for National Vision, with ratings ranging from a buy at $36.00 to an equal weight at $27.00, indicating a generally positive outlook.
• In its latest earnings report, National Vision announced $0.18 earnings per share, exceeding expectations and indicating a 7.7% increase in revenue year-over-year.

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $25.81 and last traded at $26.19, with a volume of 183731 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on EYE. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Bank of America lifted their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their target price on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -147.78, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average is $24.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.36.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other National Vision news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted 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 worth $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,350 shares of the company's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 856 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 4.9% in the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company's stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in National Vision by 11.7% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 11,463 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,230 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.