Stephanie Coon Purchases 5,895 Shares of Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) insider Stephanie Coon acquired 5,895 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $8.42 per share, for a total transaction of $49,635.90. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 62,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $524,683.88. This trade represents a 10.45% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $9.43 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $404.08 million, a P/E ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $7.95 and a fifty-two week high of $53.13. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.70.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 22.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,845,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,892,000 after acquiring an additional 530,008 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,687,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,831,000 after acquiring an additional 324,725 shares in the last quarter. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. increased its position 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 worth $31,933,000 after acquiring an additional 2,153,775 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position 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 worth $30,400,000 after acquiring an additional 632,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,047,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,412,000 after acquiring an additional 26,150 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $25.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Vital Farms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders bought shares recently, including directors Kelly Kennedy and Kofi Owusu Amoo-Gottfried and insider Stephanie Coon, suggesting management may believe Vital Farms is undervalued at current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Glenda J. Flanagan also disclosed a share purchase, adding to the recent pattern of insider confidence in Vital Farms (NASDAQ: VITL).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious overall, with consensus still around Hold and several recent target-price cuts signaling a more conservative outlook for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Pomerantz, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others continue to promote a securities class action against Vital Farms, with a lead-plaintiff deadline on May 26, which may weigh on investor sentiment.

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.