Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Has $2.55 Million Stake in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) by 37.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 115,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 69,127 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.’s holdings in National Vision were worth $2,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in EYE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,828,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,839,000 after acquiring an additional 40,193 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of National Vision by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 533,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,162,000 after buying an additional 72,318 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of National Vision during the 4th quarter worth approximately $818,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in National Vision by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 19,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $408,000 after acquiring an additional 4,153 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new position in National Vision during the fourth quarter worth $2,981,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of National Vision from $19.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 10th.

National Vision Price Performance

NASDAQ EYE opened at $14.46 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.66. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $11.91 and a one year high of $24.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.01.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.22 by $0.05. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.47% and a negative net margin of 3.44%. The business had revenue of $542.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $557.47 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director D Randolph Peeler purchased 34,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.45 per share, for a total transaction of $491,300.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 182,880 shares in the company, valued at $2,642,616. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other National Vision news, Director D Randolph Peeler bought 34,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.45 per share, for a total transaction of $491,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 182,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,642,616. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO L Reade Fahs purchased 20,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.96 per share, for a total transaction of $299,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 633,097 shares in the company, valued at $9,471,131.12. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

National Vision Profile

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.