National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $16.46, but opened at $17.35. National Vision shares last traded at $17.34, with a volume of 254,514 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

EYE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of National Vision from $38.00 to $27.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Roth Mkm set a $25.00 target price on shares of National Vision in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of National Vision from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of National Vision from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, National Vision currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.08.

National Vision Trading Up 4.7%

The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.21, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $21.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.30.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $543.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $545.09 million. National Vision had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 6.41%. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.34 earnings per share. National Vision has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.850-1.090 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EYE. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 1,242.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,532,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,295,000 after acquiring an additional 4,194,614 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 36.0% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 4,840,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,293,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280,783 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 127.9% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,965,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,234,000 after acquiring an additional 1,103,213 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 1,252.0% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,149,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,559,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 4,726.8% in the third quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 977,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,534,000 after acquiring an additional 957,273 shares in the last quarter.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc is an American optical retailer specializing in accessible vision care and eyewear. The company operates under multiple retail banners, offering comprehensive eye health services and a wide range of optical products. Since its founding in the early 1990s, National Vision has focused on providing value-driven solutions, targeting underserved and price‐conscious consumer segments.

Through its primary retail brands—including America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Optical America and Vista Optical—National Vision delivers services such as comprehensive eye examinations, prescription eyewear, contact lenses, sunglasses and lens accessories.