Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, TD Cowen Analyst Says

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) had its price objective lifted by TD Cowen from $41.00 to $45.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.33% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Vital Farms in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.67.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Shares of VITL traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $39.36. 384,853 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 586,004. Vital Farms has a fifty-two week low of $14.16 and a fifty-two week high of $48.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 35.14 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.96. 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 (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 8.68%. The business had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $145.27 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 31.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Vital Farms will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total transaction of $938,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,194,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $281,243,832.93. This trade represents a 0.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,531,574.43. The trade was a 7.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,381 shares of company stock valued at $5,328,422. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $276,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the period. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 6.5% in the third quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 180.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its stake in Vital Farms by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 8,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 1,763 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.