National Vision Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:EYE)

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 23,553 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,322% compared to the average volume of 1,656 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EYE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $13.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 309.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 3,707 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of National Vision by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 28,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision during the fourth quarter valued at about $207,000. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of National Vision by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in National Vision by 16.5% during the 4th quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 17,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 2,475 shares during the period.

National Vision Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of EYE stock opened at $18.63 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $12.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.85. National Vision has a 52 week low of $9.56 and a 52 week high of $19.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -93.15, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.02. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The firm had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $510.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an optical retailer in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Owned & Host and Legacy. It offers eyeglasses and contact lenses, and optical accessory products; provides eye exams through its America’s Best, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical, Fred Meyer, and Vista Optical military, as well as Vision Center branded stores; and offers health maintenance organization and optometric services.