Zacks Research Upgrades Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) to “Hold”

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

VITL has been the topic of several other research reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $13.00 price target on Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Vital Farms from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Vital Farms from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.18.

Vital Farms Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of VITL stock opened at $11.56 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $496.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -289.00 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Vital Farms 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 price is $11.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.26.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.47). Vital Farms had a net margin of 0.02% and a return on equity of 3.46%. The company had revenue of $166.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Vital Farms’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post -0.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Glenda J. Flanagan purchased 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $8.33 per share, with a total value of $50,813.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 37,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $312,358.34. This represents a 19.43% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Stephanie Coon acquired 5,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.42 per share, for a total transaction of $49,635.90. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 62,314 shares in the company, valued at $524,683.88. This represents a 10.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 35,700 shares of company stock valued at $296,174 over the last ninety days. 3.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VITL. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 4,382.6% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 196.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 2,232 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vital Farms

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.