Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock Price Down 4.3%

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)’s stock price dropped 4.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $44.11 and last traded at $44.22. Approximately 486,680 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 562,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, May 10th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $28.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Vital Farms from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, Lake Street Capital increased their price target on Vital Farms from $26.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.40.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a current ratio of 3.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.38 and a beta of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.64.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $147.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $139.87 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 19.58% and a net margin of 7.48%. Analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 10,430 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.51, for a total value of $464,239.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,354,347 shares in the company, valued at $327,341,984.97. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 30,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.03, for a total value of $750,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 313,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,838,845.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 10,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.51, for a total value of $464,239.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,354,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $327,341,984.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 201,623 shares of company stock worth $7,062,766. 30.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 116.1% in the 1st quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 862,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,056,000 after buying an additional 463,471 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 79.3% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 524,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,075,000 after acquiring an additional 231,985 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 9.2% during the first quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,650,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,613,000 after purchasing an additional 224,335 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 725.5% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 250,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,906,000 after purchasing an additional 220,552 shares during the period. Finally, Ranger Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,016,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Farms

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.