Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Upgraded at Zacks Research

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

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on VITL. Benchmark raised shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, William Blair reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vital Farms presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.18.

Vital Farms Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of Vital Farms stock opened at $11.56 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Vital Farms has a 1 year low of $7.95 and a 1 year high of $53.13. The company has a market capitalization of $496.29 million, a P/E ratio of -289.00 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $11.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.26.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.47). The business had revenue of $166.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.24 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 3.46% and a net margin of 0.02%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post -0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Peter Nicholas Pappas bought 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $8.51 per share, for a total transaction of $29,785.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 85,169 shares in the company, valued at $724,788.19. This trade represents a 4.29% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph Michael Holland purchased 12,484 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 38,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $305,200. The trade was a 48.64% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 35,700 shares of company stock worth $296,174. 3.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter worth $212,000. Green Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the 2nd quarter worth $559,000. PCM Encore LLC acquired a new position in Vital Farms in the second quarter valued at $121,000. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Farms during the second quarter valued at about $820,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Farms during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.