Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock Has Average Target Price of $16.45

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $16.58.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vital Farms from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th.

Vital Farms Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $10.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $429.83 million, a PE ratio of -18.20 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Vital Farms has a 52-week low of $7.95 and a 52-week high of $36.10. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.49.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The company reported ($0.15) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11) by ($0.04). Vital Farms had a negative net margin of 3.03% and a negative return on equity of 3.74%. The business had revenue of $182.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.78 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. Vital Farms’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vital Farms will post -0.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Matthew O’Hayer sold 66,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.68, for a total value of $640,816.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,261,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,615,869.60. The trade was a 1.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.90% 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 stock. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Vital Farms by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,126,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,452,000 after purchasing an additional 10,692 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 44,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 9,455 shares during the period. Stoic Point Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter worth $1,014,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at $95,000. Finally, Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 66.7% in the third quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 216,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 86,677 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, Inc. is a food company that produces and markets pasture-raised eggs and other ethically sourced food products. Its offerings include pasture-raised eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs and ghee, sold under the Vital Farms brand. Founded in 2007, the company works with a network of family farms and focuses on animal welfare, outdoor access and supply-chain transparency. Vital Farms products are distributed primarily through grocery retailers and other food channels across the United States.