Rice Hall James & Associates LLC Sells 31,806 Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL

Rice Hall James & Associates LLC cut its position in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 13.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 201,773 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,806 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC owned about 0.45% of Vital Farms worth $8,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in Vital Farms by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 56,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,179,000 after purchasing an additional 8,008 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Vital Farms by 248.4% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 37,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,141,000 after buying an additional 26,708 shares in the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 36.5% in the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 49,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,900,000 after acquiring an additional 13,202 shares in the last quarter. Peregrine Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter worth $7,665,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vital Farms by 2.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 807,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,089,000 after purchasing an additional 18,682 shares in the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Monday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Vital Farms from $59.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $586,526.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 649,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,771,424.20. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total transaction of $176,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 6,386,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $225,113,197.50. The trade was a 0.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 86,401 shares of company stock worth $3,008,045 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of VITL stock opened at $31.73 on Friday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.87 and a fifty-two week high of $53.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 24.04 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.65. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.01.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 20.19% and a net margin of 8.50%.The firm had revenue of $198.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $191.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 earnings per share. Vital Farms’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Vital Farms Company Profile

Vital Farms, traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol VITL, is a U.S.-based food company specializing in pasture-raised egg and dairy products. The company partners with a network of family farms across the United States to produce eggs, butter and related items under a certified humane, pasture-centric farming model. Vital Farms’ supply chain emphasizes animal welfare, environmental stewardship and transparent sourcing, appealing to consumers seeking ethically produced, high-quality ingredients.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Vital Farms began by marketing pasture-raised eggs to health- and ethically minded shoppers.