Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Down 6.9% – Here’s Why

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) fell 6.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $42.32 and last traded at $41.92. 184,387 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 994,998 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VITL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $41.67.

Vital Farms Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $37.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.29 and a beta of 0.88.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $145.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.27 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 22.29%. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 31.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vital Farms news, insider Joanne Bal sold 28,246 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.10, for a total value of $1,273,894.60. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,371 shares in the company, valued at $2,677,632.10. The trade was a 32.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.66, for a total transaction of $1,684,456.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 613,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,115,595.02. This represents a 6.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957. 27.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Vital Farms by 4.4% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 180.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management lifted its position in Vital Farms by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 7,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 1,534 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Farms Company 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.