National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $27.98 and last traded at $27.33, with a volume of 1720862 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

EYE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on National Vision from $30.00 to $28.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on National Vision from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wall Street Zen raised National Vision from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on National Vision from $17.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, National Bankshares set a $30.00 price target on National Vision in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.73.

National Vision Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of -152.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.69.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $486.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $469.21 million. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 0.75%.National Vision’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at National Vision

In other National Vision news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 137,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.33, for a total value of $3,342,942.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 544,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,254,862.35. This represents a 20.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of National Vision by 44.4% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 23,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 7,221 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of National Vision during the first quarter valued at about $467,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of National Vision by 49.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,412 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of National Vision by 282.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 75,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $969,000 after purchasing an additional 56,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of National Vision by 172.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 415,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,313,000 after purchasing an additional 263,308 shares in the last quarter.

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.