Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Trading 4.3% Higher - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) shares rose 4.3%, reaching a last traded price of $42.60, despite a decline in trading volume by 74% compared to its average daily volume.
• Several analysts have set optimistic price targets for Vital Farms, with a consensus target of $49.80 and many giving the stock a "buy" rating, reflecting strong growth prospects.
• Insider transactions showed CEO Russell Diez-Canseco and SVP Stephanie Coon sold shares at prices between $46.11 and $46.15, indicating a decrease in their ownership stakes.

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) shares were up 4.3% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $42.79 and last traded at $42.60. Approximately 263,741 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 1,007,152 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.86.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VITL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Lake Street Capital set a $60.00 target price on Vital Farms and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Vital Farms from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on Vital Farms from $45.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Vital Farms from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.80.

Vital Farms Stock Up 2.5%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.69. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.49 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.36 EPS 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 business had revenue of $184.77 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $170.28 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 25.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Vital Farms has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.11, for a total value of $770,037.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 702,476 shares in the company, valued at $32,391,168.36. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Stephanie Coon sold 10,005 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.15, for a total value of $461,730.75. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 45,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,112,700.85. This 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 434,401 shares of company stock valued at $21,687,330. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 53.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 23,177 shares of the company's stock valued at $706,000 after buying an additional 8,049 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 248.4% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 37,460 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,141,000 after acquiring an additional 26,708 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 8,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 672 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nexpoint Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Vital Farms during the 1st quarter worth about $558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company's stock.

About Vital Farms

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.

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