National Vision Holdings, Inc. $EYE Stock Position Cut by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,135,752 shares of the company’s stock after selling 611,670 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 5.23% of National Vision worth $67,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Vision in the second quarter worth $230,295,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in National Vision by 39.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in National Vision during the 2nd quarter worth $16,174,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new position in National Vision during the 2nd quarter worth about $14,481,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in National Vision by 107.9% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 975,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,980,000 after buying an additional 506,345 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on EYE. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on National Vision from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings raised National Vision from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays reduced their target price on National Vision from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim set a $27.00 target price on National Vision in a report on Friday, September 11th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.27.

Top National Vision Stories

Investors following EYE have been watching these stories:

• Positive Sentiment: The board authorized a $100 million share repurchase, potentially covering up to 7% of shares outstanding. The plan may support shareholder returns and signal confidence in the business.
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS cut its price target to $31 from $34 and Barclays lowered its target to $24 from $27, but both maintained bullish ratings—Buy and Overweight, respectively.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue was slightly below the cited $512.5 million consensus. More importantly, the 2026 revenue outlook of $2.02–$2.04 billion trails the approximately $2.1 billion analyst expectation, and the company lowered its comparable-sales growth outlook—signs of near-term demand pressure. Earnings beat offset by sales outlook

National Vision Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ EYE traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $18.30. 2,333,619 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,258,077. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.27. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $14.75 and a one year high of $30.02. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.93.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 12th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.13. National Vision had a net margin of 3.21% and a return on equity of 8.07%. The business had revenue of $510.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $512.53 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. National Vision has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.950-1.030 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.65 EPS for the current year.

National Vision announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, November 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 7% of its shares through open market purchases. Share buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About National Vision

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.