Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Hits New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Vital Farms' stock reached a new 52-week high of $52.63, closing at $51.70 with a trading volume of 1,037,877 shares.
• Analysts have issued several price targets for Vital Farms, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $48.20.
• The company reported $0.36 EPS for the last quarter, beating expectations and showing a 25.4% increase in quarterly revenue compared to the previous year.

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $52.63 and last traded at $51.70, with a volume of 1037877 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.94.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on VITL. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Vital Farms from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Lake Street Capital set a $60.00 target price on Vital Farms and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Vital Farms from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, August 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $48.20.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.62 and a beta of 0.93.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.09. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 18.40% and a net margin of 7.84%.The firm had revenue of $184.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $170.28 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 25.4% on a year-over-year basis. Vital Farms has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other news, insider Joanne Bal sold 4,796 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.95, for a total value of $244,356.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,332 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,207,765.40. This trade represents a 9.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Stephanie Coon sold 10,005 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.15, for a total value of $461,730.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 45,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,112,700.85. This trade represents a 17.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 103,901 shares of company stock worth $4,141,052. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Vital Farms by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,863,872 shares of the company's stock valued at $87,262,000 after buying an additional 432,848 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in Vital Farms by 80.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,074,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,921,000 after buying an additional 923,507 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Vital Farms by 35.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,687,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,017,000 after buying an additional 444,402 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Vital Farms by 97.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,234,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,534,000 after buying an additional 608,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vital Farms by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,209,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,855,000 after buying an additional 37,614 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.