Wall Street Zen Upgrades National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) to Buy

Key Points

• National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) was upgraded from a "hold" to a "buy" rating by Wall Street Zen, indicating positive investor sentiment towards the stock.
• The company's stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" among six analysts, with an average target price of $24.73, despite varied ratings from other firms.
• In its latest earnings report, National Vision reported $0.18 EPS exceeding expectations, with revenues increasing by 7.7% year-over-year to $486.42 million.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

EYE has been the topic of several other reports. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of National Vision in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of National Vision in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $24.73.

National Vision Stock Performance

Shares of EYE stock opened at $25.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -143.39, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $25.26 and its 200 day moving average is $21.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. National Vision has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $29.59.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 544,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,254,862.35. The trade was a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Vision during the first quarter valued at $467,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in National Vision by 49.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in National Vision by 172.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 415,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,313,000 after purchasing an additional 263,308 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in National Vision during the first quarter valued at $142,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in National Vision during the first quarter valued at $190,000.

About National Vision

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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