Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Vital Farms has a consensus “Hold” rating from 15 brokerages: nine analysts recommend holding, five recommend buying, and one recommends selling. The average 12-month price target is $24.08, though several analysts recently lowered their ratings and targets.
• Shares opened at $12.51, well below the 52-week high of $53.13. Recent analyst targets range from $10 to $16, reflecting significantly reduced expectations.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS loss of $0.03, missing estimates by $0.12, although revenue rose 15.4% year over year to $187.16 million. Insiders purchased 38,700 shares worth about $320,864 over the past three months.

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.0833.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. TD Cowen cut Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $10.00 target price (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Craig Hallum cut shares of Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $10.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price objective on Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, June 30th.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Shares of VITL stock opened at $12.51 on Friday. Vital Farms has a one year low of $7.95 and a one year high of $53.13. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $11.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $536.05 million, a PE ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vital Farms will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vital Farms news, insider Peter Nicholas Pappas purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.51 per share, with a total value of $29,785.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 85,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $724,788.19. The trade was a 4.29% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Glenda J. Flanagan bought 6,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.33 per share, with a total value of $50,813.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 37,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $312,358.34. This represents a 19.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased a total of 38,700 shares of company stock worth $320,864 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VITL. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 4,382.6% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,452 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol VITL, is a U.S.-based food company specializing in pasture-raised egg and dairy products. The company partners with a network of family farms across the United States to produce eggs, butter and related items under a certified humane, pasture-centric farming model. Vital Farms' supply chain emphasizes animal welfare, environmental stewardship and transparent sourcing, appealing to consumers seeking ethically produced, high-quality ingredients.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms began by marketing pasture-raised eggs to health- and ethically minded shoppers.

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