Insider Selling: Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Major Shareholder Sells $406,600.00 in Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $406,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 6,321,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $128,509,792.70. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Matthew Ohayer also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, February 2nd, Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of Vital Farms stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.91, for a total transaction of $558,200.00.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of Vital Farms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.85, for a total transaction of $771,250.00.
• On Monday, December 15th, Matthew Ohayer sold 5,000 shares of Vital Farms stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total transaction of $176,250.00.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Shares of VITL opened at $19.89 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $891.07 million, a PE ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.14. Vital Farms, Inc. has a one year low of $19.61 and a one year high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). Vital Farms had a return on equity of 20.69% and a net margin of 8.73%.The firm had revenue of $213.55 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 28.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on VITL shares. Zacks Research downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $24.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 80.2% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,074,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,921,000 after buying an additional 923,507 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth about $25,534,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Vital Farms by 466.5% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 503,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,094,000 after buying an additional 641,394 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 97.4% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,234,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,534,000 after acquiring an additional 608,723 shares during the period. Finally, Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 131.7% during the 3rd quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 993,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,876,000 after acquiring an additional 564,711 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.