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

Key Points

• National Vision has been upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, signaling increased optimism about its stock performance.
• Recent earnings results showed that National Vision surpassed expectations, reporting $0.18 EPS compared to a consensus estimate of $0.12, alongside a positive revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year.
• Analysts have varied target prices for National Vision, with Barclays lowering theirs to $28.00 while Citigroup increased theirs to $21.00, reflecting different perspectives on the company's outlook.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup upgraded National Vision from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on National Vision in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 price objective on National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of EYE stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Friday, reaching $22.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,575,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,100,806. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -127.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $23.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.97. National Vision has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $25.67.

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

Institutional Trading of National Vision

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of National Vision in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in National Vision by 69.3% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in National Vision by 87.5% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new position in National Vision during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $83,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in National Vision by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 2,412 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.