Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Bought by Emerald Advisers LLC

Emerald Advisers LLC raised its stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 864,323 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 157,883 shares during the period. Vital Farms accounts for approximately 1.3% of Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Emerald Advisers LLC’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $32,576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VITL. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of Vital Farms by 160.3% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 872 shares during the period. Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 29.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 191.2% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, February 28th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.71.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

NASDAQ VITL opened at $29.79 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $36.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $35.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.24 and a quick ratio of 2.81. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.82 and a 1-year high of $48.41. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60 and a beta of 0.95.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 8.68%. The business had revenue of $165.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.32 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total value of $517,584.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 46,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,944,222.24. This trade represents a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.46, for a total transaction of $589,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,970,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $205,362,419.40. This represents a 0.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 141,474 shares of company stock worth $5,844,140. Corporate insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Profile

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.