Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Director Kelly Kennedy Buys 2,500 Shares of Stock

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Director Kelly Kennedy acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.40 per share, with a total value of $21,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 22,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $192,586.80. The trade was a 12.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Vital Farms Price Performance

NASDAQ:VITL opened at $8.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $354.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.96 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. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.00.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VITL shares. TD Cowen lowered Vital Farms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $25.00 to $16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered Vital Farms from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $11.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on Vital Farms from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vital Farms from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $10.00 price target on Vital Farms in a report on Friday, May 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,442,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 131.7% during the 3rd quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP now owns 993,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,876,000 after purchasing an additional 564,711 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,377,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,692,000 after purchasing an additional 258,092 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth $1,728,000. Finally, Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 554.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 95,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 80,694 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Vital Farms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several insiders bought shares, including an executive, a director, and the CMO, signaling internal confidence at recent prices.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains lukewarm, with the stock reportedly carrying a consensus “Hold” rating. Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts also lowered their price target, reflecting weaker sentiment around the company’s outlook. Vital Farms (VITL) price target decreased by 44.93% to 15.50
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms, including Rosen, Schall, Berger Montague, Faruqi & Faruqi, and others, are actively promoting a securities-fraud class action against Vital Farms, increasing litigation risk and uncertainty. Rosen Law Firm lead plaintiff deadline reminder

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.