Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Sells 26,417 Shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP lessened its position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) by 30.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 60,722 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,417 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP’s holdings in National Vision were worth $1,397,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the second quarter valued at about $83,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of 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, USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the second quarter valued at about $128,000.

National Vision Trading Down 1.9%

EYE stock opened at $25.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $25.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.49. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.93 and a 52 week high of $29.59. The company has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of -143.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.30.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.06. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.75% and a positive return on equity of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $486.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $469.21 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. National Vision’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at National Vision

In related news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total value of $3,342,942.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EYE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. National Bankshares set a $30.00 price objective on shares of National Vision in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of National Vision in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of National Vision from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $27.00 price objective on shares of National Vision and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, National Vision has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.73.

About National Vision

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.