Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Insider Buys $29,785.00 in Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) insider Peter Nicholas Pappas purchased 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $8.51 per share, with a total value of $29,785.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 85,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $724,788.19. This trade represents a 4.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Vital Farms Price Performance

VITL traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $8.28. 4,186,829 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,728,813. The firm has a market capitalization of $354.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vital Farms, Inc. has a one year low of $7.95 and a one year high of $53.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.24.

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

Key Headlines Impacting Vital Farms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several insiders bought shares on May 14, including a large purchase by Joseph Michael Holland, along with buys from Peter Nicholas Pappas, CMO Kathryn McKeon, and Director Kelly J. Kennedy. Insider buying can signal confidence from management and directors. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage was reported as a consensus “Hold,” suggesting Wall Street is not currently strongly bullish or bearish on Vital Farms. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A broker note reportedly cut Vital Farms’ price target to $15.50, a sizable reduction that can pressure the stock by signaling weaker expectations for future upside. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms issued class-action and securities-fraud lawsuit notices tied to Vital Farms, with deadlines for lead-plaintiff participation. These repeated legal headlines may raise investor concerns about potential liability and uncertainty. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on VITL. Zacks Research cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 target price (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of 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 given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VITL. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 1,998.7% in the first quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. now owns 2,261,533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,933,000 after acquiring an additional 2,153,775 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 80.2% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,074,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,921,000 after acquiring an additional 923,507 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,534,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 466.5% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,094,000 after purchasing an additional 641,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 41.6% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,153,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,400,000 after purchasing an additional 632,537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.