Insider Buying: Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Insider Purchases $99,872.00 in Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) insider Joseph Michael Holland purchased 12,484 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $8.00 per share, with a total value of $99,872.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,200. This represents a 48.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Vital Farms Price Performance

VITL stock opened at $9.43 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $404.08 million, a PE ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.95 and a 1 year high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $187.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.40 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. Vital Farms’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vital Farms News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Vital Farms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders bought shares recently, including directors Kelly Kennedy and Kofi Owusu Amoo-Gottfried and insider Stephanie Coon, suggesting management may believe Vital Farms is undervalued at current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Glenda J. Flanagan also disclosed a share purchase, adding to the recent pattern of insider confidence in Vital Farms (NASDAQ: VITL).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious overall, with consensus still around Hold and several recent target-price cuts signaling a more conservative outlook for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Pomerantz, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others continue to promote a securities class action against Vital Farms, with a lead-plaintiff deadline on May 26, which may weigh on investor sentiment.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 16.7% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 40,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 24.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 22,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 4,471 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 85.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 17,144 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 7,902 shares in the last quarter. SummitTX Capital L.P. acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the first quarter worth $1,046,000. Finally, Rice Hall James & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 20.1% during the first quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 222,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,142,000 after purchasing an additional 37,223 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $10.00 price objective (down from $34.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. TD Cowen cut Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $16.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Craig Hallum cut Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.33.

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.