National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Stock Falls 6.2% – What’s Next?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)’s stock price dropped 6.2% during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as low as $18.08 and last traded at $17.8260. Approximately 155,852 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 1,877,459 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.01.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on EYE shares. Guggenheim set a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of National Vision from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings cut National Vision from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on National Vision from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.82.

National Vision Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.39 billion, a PE ratio of 28.88, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $17.04 and its 200 day moving average is $21.05.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.07. National Vision had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 6.78%. The business had revenue of $498.81 million for the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. National Vision’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in National Vision in the second quarter worth about $230,295,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in National Vision by 39.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 7,669,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,804,000 after purchasing an additional 2,173,887 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Vision during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,248,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in National Vision by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,062,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,304,000 after purchasing an additional 32,595 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its stake in National Vision by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,335,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,263,000 after purchasing an additional 87,895 shares in the last quarter.

National Vision Company Profile

National Vision Holdings, Inc. is a U.S. optical retailer that provides eye care services and sells eyewear. Its offerings include eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, sunglasses and related accessories. The company operates stores under brands including America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses and Eyeglass World. It also operates Vista Optical locations, including stores in select host locations. Founded in 1990, National Vision serves customers across the United States through its retail locations and online channels.