Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) Price Target Raised to $44.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) had its target price increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $34.00 to $44.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on VITL. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Vital Farms in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.33.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

VITL opened at $43.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.24 and a quick ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.52 and a beta of 0.88. Vital Farms has a 1-year low of $14.37 and a 1-year high of $48.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.86.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 8.68%. The firm had revenue of $145.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $145.27 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 31.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.66, for a total value of $1,684,456.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 613,797 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,115,595.02. This trade represents a 6.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.19, for a total transaction of $1,036,560.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,014,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $302,973,099.10. This represents a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth $2,765,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 6.0% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 253,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,888,000 after acquiring an additional 14,426 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 38.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,343,000 after acquiring an additional 74,593 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 10.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 372,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,066,000 after acquiring an additional 34,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 882.6% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 20,320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 18,252 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Farms Company Profile

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.