BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Stock

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) had its target price raised by BMO Capital Markets from $13.00 to $19.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the stock.

EYE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America raised National Vision from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.75.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE opened at $18.65 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $13.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of -93.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.57. National Vision has a one year low of $9.56 and a one year high of $19.49.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $510.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $510.30 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 0.81%. National Vision’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,375. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EYE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in National Vision in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in National Vision by 69.3% in the first quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,230 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in National Vision by 87.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 3,291 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in National Vision by 49.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares during the period. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in National Vision in the first quarter valued at about $142,000.

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.