Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Hits New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $28.82 and last traded at $29.20, with a volume of 180603 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VITL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on Vital Farms from $53.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vital Farms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.91.

Vital Farms Trading Down 0.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.34 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.60.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $198.94 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $191.35 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 20.19%. The firm’s revenue was up 37.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.85, for a total value of $771,250.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,361,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,242,711.50. The trade was a 0.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total value of $586,526.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,771,424.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 101,734 shares of company stock valued at $3,350,177 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VITL. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter worth $55,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 896.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 2,330 shares in the last quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at about $105,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 18.9% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol VITL, is a U.S.-based food company specializing in pasture-raised egg and dairy products. The company partners with a network of family farms across the United States to produce eggs, butter and related items under a certified humane, pasture-centric farming model. Vital Farms’ supply chain emphasizes animal welfare, environmental stewardship and transparent sourcing, appealing to consumers seeking ethically produced, high-quality ingredients.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms began by marketing pasture-raised eggs to health- and ethically minded shoppers.