Van Berkom & Associates Inc. Buys 2,153,775 Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Van Berkom & Associates Inc. grew its position in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 1,998.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,261,533 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,153,775 shares during the period. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. owned 0.05% of Vital Farms worth $31,933,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,405,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,836,000 after acquiring an additional 447,728 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 92.6% in the 1st quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 76,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 36,758 shares in the last quarter. Watershed Asset Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Vital Farms in the first quarter valued at about $449,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 53.7% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 2,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 11.4% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 14,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,438 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VITL shares. Mizuho set a $20.00 price objective on Vital Farms in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 target price (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.08.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $13.55 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $580.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 1.07. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.95 and a 52-week high of $53.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.33.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.12). Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm had revenue of $187.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Vital Farms news, insider Joseph Michael Holland acquired 12,484 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $99,872.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $305,200. The trade was a 48.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Glenda J. Flanagan acquired 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $8.33 per share, for a total transaction of $50,813.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 37,498 shares in the company, valued at $312,358.34. This trade represents a 19.43% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired 38,700 shares of company stock worth $320,864 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.90% 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.