National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $19.60.

A number of brokerages recently commented on EYE. Barclays lowered their target price on National Vision from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th.

National Vision Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE opened at $14.77 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $18.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.05, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.47. National Vision has a 12-month low of $13.71 and a 12-month high of $27.02.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.07. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.47% and a negative net margin of 3.44%. The company had revenue of $506.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $499.49 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.11) EPS. National Vision’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO L Reade Fahs acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.96 per share, for a total transaction of $299,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 633,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,471,131.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other National Vision news, Director D Randolph Peeler bought 34,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.45 per share, for a total transaction of $491,300.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 182,880 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,616. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO L Reade Fahs bought 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.96 per share, with a total value of $299,200.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 633,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,471,131.12. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its position in National Vision by 13.9% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 10,066,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,877,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228,933 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in National Vision by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,908,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,413,000 after purchasing an additional 25,982 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in National Vision by 4.2% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,511,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,980,000 after purchasing an additional 182,504 shares during the last quarter. Hawk Ridge Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in National Vision in the fourth quarter valued at $69,274,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in National Vision by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,249,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,085,000 after purchasing an additional 654,462 shares during the last quarter.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America's Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.