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

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

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. BMO Capital Markets set a $19.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America upped their price target on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays upgraded shares of National Vision from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $17.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, National Vision presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $22.10.

National Vision Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of EYE stock traded up $0.36 on Friday, reaching $25.37. 1,137,266 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,909,192. National Vision has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $25.52. The business's 50 day moving average price is $20.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.94. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -76.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.54.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $510.30 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.44% and a negative net margin of 1.40%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that National Vision will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 69.3% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,298 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position 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 worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,579 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.