Capula Management Ltd Acquires New Shares in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Capula Management Ltd bought a new stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 31,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 923,507 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 608,723 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 159.0% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 840,508 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,587,000 after purchasing an additional 516,037 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Vital Farms by 35.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,687,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,017,000 after purchasing an additional 444,402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Vital Farms by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,377,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,692,000 after purchasing an additional 258,092 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on VITL shares. Needham & Company LLC cut their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Benchmark cut Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $24.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.00.

Vital Farms Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ VITL opened at $17.21 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.61. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.00 and a 1 year high of $53.13. The firm has a market cap of $770.96 million, a PE ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.14.

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 business had revenue of $213.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.83 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 28.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $586,526.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares in the company, valued at $22,771,424.20. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Karl Khoury bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 119,789 shares in the company, valued at $2,210,107.05. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,734 shares of company stock worth $2,498,827. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

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.