Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $34.53, but opened at $30.60. Vital Farms shares last traded at $31.12, with a volume of 963,748 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VITL shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Vital Farms from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Vital Farms from $53.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson set a $52.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Monday. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.42.

Vital Farms Stock Down 0.2%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $34.75 and a 200 day moving average of $38.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.65 and a quick ratio of 2.15. The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79 and a beta of 1.06.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.06. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 20.19%. The firm had revenue of $198.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $191.35 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 37.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total value of $176,250.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,386,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $225,113,197.50. This trade represents a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $586,526.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,771,424.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,401 shares of company stock valued at $3,008,045. 21.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter worth $55,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new position in Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth $105,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 18.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Vital Farms by 53.6% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,000 after buying an additional 1,116 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Farms

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.