Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

VITL has been the subject of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $11.00 price objective on Vital Farms in a research note on Friday. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group downgraded Vital Farms from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $11.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.18.

Vital Farms Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ VITL opened at $11.56 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $11.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.26. The company has a market capitalization of $496.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -289.00 and a beta of 1.07. Vital Farms has a 1 year low of $7.95 and a 1 year high of $53.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.47). The firm had revenue of $166.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.24 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 3.46% and a net margin of 0.02%.The firm’s revenue was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Vital Farms will post -0.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other news, insider Joseph Michael Holland purchased 12,484 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $99,872.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $305,200. The trade was a 48.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Stephanie Coon acquired 5,895 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $8.42 per share, with a total value of $49,635.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $524,683.88. This trade represents a 10.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 35,700 shares of company stock valued at $296,174. Corporate insiders own 3.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Vital Farms by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group increased its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 65,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vital Farms by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 35,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.