Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Stake Boosted by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,035 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,175 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VITL. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 152.1% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 895 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 540 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 160.3% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 872 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $59,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.68, for a total value of $784,320.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,942,890 shares in the company, valued at $226,893,645.20. This trade represents a 0.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 45,124 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.69, for a total transaction of $1,520,227.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 703,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,708,865.84. This represents a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 93,124 shares of company stock valued at $3,019,308. Corporate insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Shares of VITL opened at $35.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.94 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s fifty day moving average is $32.23 and its 200-day moving average is $35.20. The company has a quick ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.91 and a 12 month high of $48.41.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.71.

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.