The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Stock

Key Points

• The Goldman Sachs Group has increased its price target for National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) from $17.00 to $22.00, maintaining a "neutral" rating amidst a potential downside from the current price.
• Analysts show a mixed sentiment with Barclays downgrading its target to $28.00 and UBS maintaining a buy rating at $30.00, while National Vision has an average price target of $24.73.
• National Vision reported earnings of $0.34 per share, exceeding expectations, with a revenue increase of 5.7% year-over-year, marking a positive financial performance.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $17.00 to $22.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target points to a potential downside of 8.16% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered National Vision from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on National Vision from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Vision has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Performance

National Vision stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $23.96. 1,357,336 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,091,941. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.65. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of -72.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.27. National Vision has a fifty-two week low of $9.56 and a fifty-two week high of $25.67.

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

Insider Transactions at National Vision

In other National Vision 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 value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in National Vision by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,568,579 shares of the company's stock worth $135,066,000 after purchasing an additional 156,741 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,996,104 shares of the company's stock worth $63,850,000 after purchasing an additional 320,565 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of National Vision by 53.3% during the 1st quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 3,875,701 shares of the company's stock worth $49,531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,347,648 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 30,235 shares during the period. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in National Vision during the second quarter worth about $81,908,000.

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.

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