National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Short Interest Update

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) saw a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,730,000 shares, an increase of 23.0% from the February 28th total of 5,470,000 shares. Approximately 8.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,500,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on EYE. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on National Vision from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EYE. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,411,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,491,000 after purchasing an additional 167,735 shares during the last quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in National Vision by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,719,000 after buying an additional 2,715,582 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of National Vision by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,702,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,577,000 after buying an additional 30,235 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 127.5% in the 4th quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,342,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of National Vision by 81.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036,459 shares during the period.

National Vision Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE traded up $0.03 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.81. 181,667 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,573,659. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -64.01, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $12.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.31. National Vision has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $22.18.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America’s Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.