Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Here’s What Happened

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)’s share price fell 4.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.11 and last traded at $13.1810. 1,131,613 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average session volume of 2,139,012 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson set a $47.00 target price on Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $35.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.82.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.16, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.75. The company has a market cap of $582.81 million, a PE ratio of 9.03 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, Director Karl Khoury purchased 5,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 119,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,210,107.05. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.85, for a total value of $771,250.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,361,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,242,711.50. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 65,000 shares of company stock worth $1,736,050 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Vital Farms by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 68,724 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,828,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 0.7% during the third quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 59,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 34,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Vital Farms by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 6,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares during the period. Finally, Clean Yield Group boosted its position in Vital Farms by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 65,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

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.