Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Director Acquires $50,813.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Vital Farms director Glenda Flanagan bought 6,100 shares for about $50,813, lifting her holdings to 37,498 shares. The purchase was made at an average price of $8.33 per share and was disclosed in an SEC filing.
• The stock was trading higher on the day, up 2.8% to $9.43, but remains well below its recent averages and 52-week high. Vital Farms has ranged from $7.95 to $53.13 over the past year.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious after recent downgrades, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $27.33. The company also posted a recent quarterly EPS miss despite revenue beating expectations.

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) Director Glenda Flanagan acquired 6,100 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.33 per share, for a total transaction of $50,813.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 37,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $312,358.34. This represents a 19.43% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Vital Farms Trading Up 2.8%

NASDAQ:VITL traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $9.43. 3,439,131 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,752,877. The company's 50 day moving average is $12.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.87. Vital Farms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.95 and a twelve month high of $53.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market capitalization of $404.08 million, a P/E ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.20.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). Vital Farms had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 6.10%.The firm had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 22.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,845,714 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,892,000 after purchasing an additional 530,008 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,687,246 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,831,000 after purchasing an additional 324,725 shares during the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 1,998.7% in the 1st quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 2,261,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,933,000 after purchasing an additional 2,153,775 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,153,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,400,000 after purchasing an additional 632,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,047,955 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,412,000 after purchasing an additional 26,150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VITL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Craig Hallum downgraded Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. William Blair reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vital Farms from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen downgraded Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $25.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Benchmark downgraded Vital Farms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.33.

More Vital Farms News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vital Farms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several Vital Farms insiders, including directors and an executive, bought shares around $8.00-$8.51, which can signal confidence that the stock is undervalued at current levels. Article: Vital Farms NASDAQ: VITL Director Acquires 2,375 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious overall, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and several recent price-target cuts reflecting a weaker near-term outlook. Article: Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Vital Farms (VITL)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms continue advertising a securities-fraud class action against Vital Farms, with a lead-plaintiff deadline of May 26, keeping litigation risk and investor uncertainty in focus. Article: VITL DEADLINE: ROSEN, TOP-RANKED INVESTOR COUNSEL

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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