Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.0833.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VITL. TD Cowen downgraded Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $16.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group cut shares of Vital Farms from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $11.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price target on Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Craig Hallum downgraded Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Shares of VITL opened at $12.95 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of $554.88 million, a P/E ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.01. Vital Farms has a 12-month low of $7.95 and a 12-month high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.12). The company 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 revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Vital Farms will post -0.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Vital Farms by 196.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 2,232 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 16.7% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 40,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $578,000 after buying an additional 5,851 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 24.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 4,471 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 85.5% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 17,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 7,902 shares during the period. Finally, SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the first quarter worth about $1,046,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

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.