Versor Investments LP Acquires New Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 18,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $414,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in National Vision by 172.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 415,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,313,000 after purchasing an additional 263,308 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $142,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $272,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter worth approximately $190,000. Finally, Comerica Bank lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 110.9% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 57,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 30,344 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total transaction of $3,342,942.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at $13,254,862.35. The trade was a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

National Vision Stock Down 3.5%

EYE stock opened at $24.70 on Thursday. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.93 and a 52-week high of $29.59. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -137.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.33.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.15 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EYE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of National Vision in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Vision presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.73.

National Vision Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America’s Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.