Joseph Michael Holland Buys 12,484 Shares of Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) insider Joseph Michael Holland acquired 12,484 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $99,872.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 38,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,200. This trade represents a 48.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $9.17 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $12.93 and a 200-day moving average of $23.87. The firm has a market cap of $392.93 million, a P/E ratio of 8.82 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.95 and a 1-year high of $53.13.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on VITL. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price objective (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Benchmark cut Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.33.

Vital Farms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several Vital Farms insiders bought stock at around $8.00-$8.51 per share, including directors Kelly Kennedy and Kofi Owusu Amoo-Gottfried, plus CMO Kathryn McKeon and other executives. Insider buying can signal confidence that management sees value at current levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed, with coverage still leaning to a “Hold” consensus and multiple firms recently cutting price targets. That suggests Wall Street is cautious on the near-term outlook, but not uniformly bearish.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms continue to promote a securities-fraud class action against Vital Farms, with a key lead-plaintiff deadline approaching on May 26. The ongoing litigation headlines add uncertainty and can weigh on investor sentiment.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VITL. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Vital Farms by 89.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 9,136 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $611,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,658,000 after purchasing an additional 13,397 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Vital Farms in the 1st quarter worth $1,073,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 89,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.59% 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.