Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $14.00 and last traded at $14.0580, with a volume of 507690 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VITL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. DA Davidson set a $47.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $24.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $50.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.00.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $628.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.54. 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 (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $213.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.83 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 20.69% and a net margin of 8.73%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vital Farms news, major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total value of $406,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 6,321,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $128,509,792.70. This trade represents a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Karl Khoury purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 119,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,210,107.05. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 65,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,736,050 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 4,382.6% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 225.6% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.