Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL)

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 2,402 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 94% compared to the typical volume of 1,241 call options.

Vital Farms Price Performance

NASDAQ:VITL traded up $1.71 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $29.01. 530,581 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,445,679. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.29. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Vital Farms has a 52 week low of $26.65 and a 52 week high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.06. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.50% and a return on equity of 20.19%. The business had revenue of $198.94 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $191.35 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 37.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms 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 value of $586,526.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 649,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,771,424.20. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.92, for a total transaction of $798,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 6,422,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $204,992,474.40. The trade was a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 101,734 shares of company stock worth $3,350,177. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vital Farms

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Vital Farms by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 56,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,179,000 after purchasing an additional 8,008 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 36.5% during the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 49,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,900,000 after purchasing an additional 13,202 shares during the period. Peregrine Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,665,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vital Farms by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 807,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,089,000 after purchasing an additional 18,682 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 206.5% in the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 25,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $994,000 after buying an additional 17,387 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VITL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $48.00 to $45.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Vital Farms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.91.

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.