Wall Street Zen Upgrades National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) to Buy

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

EYE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. National Bankshares set a $30.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup raised National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays raised National Vision from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $30.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.10.

National Vision Stock Down 0.3%

National Vision stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.46. 1,368,747 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,908,242. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.54. The company's 50-day moving average is $20.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.88. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -74.12, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.27. National Vision has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $25.39.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 negative net margin of 1.40% and a positive return on equity of 3.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. On average, analysts predict that National Vision will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other National Vision news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EYE. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of National Vision by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company's stock worth $48,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715,582 shares in the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of National Vision by 127.5% during the 4th quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company's stock worth $26,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417,002 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new stake in National Vision during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,594,000. SG Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in National Vision during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,827,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in National Vision by 81.5% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,459 shares during the period.

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.