National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Hits New 52-Week High Following Analyst Upgrade

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $13.00 to $19.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has a market perform rating on the stock. National Vision traded as high as $19.49 and last traded at $19.35, with a volume of 973737 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $19.22.

EYE has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised shares of National Vision from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Vision news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at $219,375. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of National Vision by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 28,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in National Vision by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in National Vision by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of National Vision by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of National Vision by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 45,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,394 shares during the last quarter.

National Vision Stock Up 0.8%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $13.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $510.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.32 earnings per share. National Vision’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that National Vision Holdings, Inc. 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.