Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Director Purchases $21,000.00 in Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Director Kelly Kennedy purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.40 per share, with a total value of $21,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 22,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $192,586.80. This represents a 12.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Vital Farms Stock Up 2.8%

VITL stock opened at $9.43 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $12.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.70. The company has a market cap of $404.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $7.95 and a twelve month high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $187.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VITL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Craig Hallum downgraded Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 target price on Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. William Blair reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Vital Farms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders bought shares recently, including directors Kelly Kennedy and Kofi Owusu Amoo-Gottfried and insider Stephanie Coon, suggesting management may believe Vital Farms is undervalued at current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Glenda J. Flanagan also disclosed a share purchase, adding to the recent pattern of insider confidence in Vital Farms (NASDAQ: VITL).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious overall, with consensus still around Hold and several recent target-price cuts signaling a more conservative outlook for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Pomerantz, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others continue to promote a securities class action against Vital Farms, with a lead-plaintiff deadline on May 26, which may weigh on investor sentiment.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 40,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 4,471 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 85.5% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 17,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 7,902 shares in the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in Vital Farms in the 1st quarter valued at $1,046,000. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 20.1% in the 1st quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 222,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,142,000 after acquiring an additional 37,223 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.