National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Short Interest Up 11.6% in June

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 9,340,000 shares, an increase of 11.6% from the June 15th total of 8,370,000 shares. Currently, 12.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,420,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays cut their price target on National Vision from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other National Vision news, Director D Randolph Peeler bought 34,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.45 per share, for a total transaction of $491,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 182,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,642,616. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director D Randolph Peeler bought 34,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.45 per share, for a total transaction of $491,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 182,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,642,616. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO L Reade Fahs acquired 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.96 per share, for a total transaction of $299,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 633,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,471,131.12. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of National Vision by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,908,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,413,000 after acquiring an additional 25,982 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in National Vision by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,511,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,980,000 after acquiring an additional 182,504 shares during the last quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of National Vision during the 4th quarter worth about $69,274,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,249,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,085,000 after acquiring an additional 654,462 shares during the period. Finally, Wolf Hill Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in National Vision by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Wolf Hill Capital Management LP now owns 1,595,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,352,000 after purchasing an additional 368,750 shares during the period.

National Vision Trading Up 4.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.22. The stock had a trading volume of 79,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,200,402. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.15 and its 200-day moving average is $18.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.01. National Vision has a 12-month low of $11.91 and a 12-month high of $25.04. The company has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of -14.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.44.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $542.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $557.47 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.47% and a negative net margin of 3.44%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that National Vision will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

National Vision Company 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.