BlackRock Inc. Makes New Investment in National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 12,114,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $230,295,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 0.15% of National Vision as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EYE. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in National Vision by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $391,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of National Vision by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 15,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 26,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 68,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,583,000 after buying an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of National Vision by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of National Vision from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on National Vision from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Barclays decreased their price objective on National Vision from $38.00 to $27.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings cut National Vision from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on National Vision from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.36.

National Vision Trading Down 4.3%

National Vision stock opened at $17.87 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $14.75 and a 52 week high of $30.02. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $19.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.06.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.07. National Vision had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 6.78%. The company had revenue of $498.81 million for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. National Vision’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.65 EPS for the current year.

National Vision Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc is an American optical retailer specializing in accessible vision care and eyewear. The company operates under multiple retail banners, offering comprehensive eye health services and a wide range of optical products. Since its founding in the early 1990s, National Vision has focused on providing value-driven solutions, targeting underserved and price‐conscious consumer segments.

Through its primary retail brands—including America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Optical America and Vista Optical—National Vision delivers services such as comprehensive eye examinations, prescription eyewear, contact lenses, sunglasses and lens accessories.