Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Purchases Shares of 217,300 National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 217,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,264,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned about 0.28% of National Vision as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of National Vision by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,411,838 shares of the company's stock worth $108,491,000 after buying an additional 167,735 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in National Vision by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,702,371 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,577,000 after acquiring an additional 30,235 shares during the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP grew its holdings in 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 during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,036,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,583,131 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,496,000 after purchasing an additional 170,839 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

National Vision Trading Up 3.3%

NASDAQ EYE opened at $19.22 on Friday. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $19.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. The stock's 50-day moving average is $12.97 and its 200-day moving average is $11.96.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 0.81%. The business had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $510.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. National Vision's revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on EYE shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America upgraded National Vision from an "underperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $17.57.

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.

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