Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,520,471 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 142,790 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $48,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Vital Farms by 896.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 2,330 shares during the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Vital Farms by 53.6% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,197 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Vital Farms by 48.3% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VITL shares. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings lowered Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.92.

Vital Farms Trading Down 6.1%

VITL opened at $8.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $383.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.40 and a 52 week high of $53.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $14.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 6.10%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.37 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 0.86 EPS for the current year.

Vital Farms News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vital Farms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vital Farms still posted revenue above estimates for the quarter, with sales rising 15.4% year over year, which suggests demand for its premium egg products remains intact. Vital Farms earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: William Blair reaffirmed its market perform rating on Vital Farms, indicating the firm is not turning more bearish even after the selloff. William Blair rating note
• Neutral Sentiment: Several law firms issued reminders about the pending securities class action and May 26 lead-plaintiff deadline, keeping investor attention on litigation risk. Rosen Law Firm notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Faruqi & Faruqi, The Gross Law Firm, Schall, Robbins, Pomerantz, Berger Montague and others also reiterated class-action notices, adding to the overhang but not changing the underlying fundamentals by themselves. Class action lawsuit notice
• Negative Sentiment: Craig Hallum downgraded Vital Farms from buy to hold, signaling less enthusiasm after the disappointing quarter and weaker outlook. Craig Hallum downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: The main driver of the stock weakness was the earnings miss and sharply reduced FY2026 revenue guidance of $775 million to $800 million, which fell well below the market’s expectations and raised concerns about margin pressure and slower growth. Earnings and guidance article

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $406,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,321,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $128,509,792.70. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Karl Khoury purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.45 per share, for a total transaction of $92,250.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 119,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,210,107.05. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Farms

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.