Principal Securities Inc. Acquires 380 Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 29.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,673 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $63,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Vital Farms by 87.1% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 1,124 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth $199,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.19, for a total value of $916,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,038,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $268,815,209.10. The trade was a 0.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.05, for a total transaction of $541,815.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 46,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,035,242.15. The trade was a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957. 27.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Vital Farms Stock Down 9.1 %

VITL opened at $30.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.40 and a 12 month high of $48.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $38.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.64. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.49 and a beta of 0.90.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.29% and a net margin of 8.68%. The firm had revenue of $165.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.32 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VITL. Craig Hallum began coverage on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Vital Farms from $34.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.57.

Vital Farms 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.