Needham Investment Management LLC Raises Stake in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Needham Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 31.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 685,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 162,500 shares during the quarter. Vital Farms comprises about 1.4% of Needham Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Needham Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $21,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 350.3% during the 4th quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 201,232 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,427,000 after acquiring an additional 156,547 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in Vital Farms by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 44,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 11,420 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 39,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,267,000 after purchasing an additional 8,543 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 79,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,542,000 after buying an additional 2,910 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth $106,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $10.61 on Tuesday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.95 and a 1-year high of $53.13. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.82. The firm has a market cap of $454.64 million, a PE ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vital Farms news, insider Stephanie Coon bought 5,895 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.42 per share, for a total transaction of $49,635.90. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 62,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $524,683.88. This trade represents a 10.45% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Glenda J. Flanagan bought 6,100 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.33 per share, for a total transaction of $50,813.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 37,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $312,358.34. This trade represents a 19.43% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired 38,700 shares of company stock worth $320,864 in the last three months. Company insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VITL has been the topic of a number of research reports. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Craig Hallum cut Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

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.