Capula Management Ltd Purchases New Shares in Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Capula Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 31,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,305,000. Capula Management Ltd owned approximately 0.07% of Vital Farms at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 80.2% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,074,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,921,000 after acquiring an additional 923,507 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Vital Farms by 97.4% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,234,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,534,000 after acquiring an additional 608,723 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Vital Farms by 159.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 840,508 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,587,000 after purchasing an additional 516,037 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Vital Farms by 35.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,687,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,017,000 after purchasing an additional 444,402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,377,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,692,000 after purchasing an additional 258,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Vital Farms stock opened at $17.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $770.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.00 and a 12-month high of $53.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.92.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.73% and a return on equity of 20.69%. The firm had revenue of $213.55 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $586,526.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares in the company, valued at $22,771,424.20. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Karl Khoury bought 5,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.45 per share, for a total transaction of $92,250.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 119,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,210,107.05. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 86,734 shares of company stock valued at $2,498,827 over the last three months. 21.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VITL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $24.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Vital Farms from $50.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Vital Farms from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. DA Davidson set a $47.00 price objective on Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

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.