Insider Buying: Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Insider Purchases $29,785.00 in Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) insider Peter Nicholas Pappas acquired 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.51 per share, for a total transaction of $29,785.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 85,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $724,788.19. This represents a 4.29% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Vital Farms Stock Up 2.8%

NASDAQ VITL opened at $9.43 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $12.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.70. The company has a market capitalization of $404.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 1.20. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.95 and a 1-year high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by ($0.12). Vital Farms had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The company had revenue of $187.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $182.40 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post -0.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Farms

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth about $3,442,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 131.7% in the 3rd quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 993,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,876,000 after purchasing an additional 564,711 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,377,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,692,000 after purchasing an additional 258,092 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,728,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 554.1% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 95,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 80,694 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VITL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target (down from $47.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Craig Hallum lowered shares of Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $10.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.33.

Vital Farms News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vital Farms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders bought shares recently, including directors Kelly Kennedy and Kofi Owusu Amoo-Gottfried and insider Stephanie Coon, suggesting management may believe Vital Farms is undervalued at current levels.
• Positive Sentiment: Director Glenda J. Flanagan also disclosed a share purchase, adding to the recent pattern of insider confidence in Vital Farms (NASDAQ: VITL).
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious overall, with consensus still around Hold and several recent target-price cuts signaling a more conservative outlook for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Robbins LLP, Levi & Korsinsky, Rosen, Pomerantz, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others continue to promote a securities class action against Vital Farms, with a lead-plaintiff deadline on May 26, which may weigh on investor sentiment.

About Vital Farms

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.