National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.75.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised National Vision from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $13.00 to $21.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on National Vision from $13.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday. Loop Capital raised their price objective on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th.

National Vision Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ EYE opened at $19.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -96.90, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. National Vision has a 12-month low of $9.56 and a 12-month high of $19.49. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.11.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other National Vision news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of National Vision stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in National Vision by 4.0% in the 4th 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. Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in National Vision by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 24,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in National Vision by 69.3% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in National Vision by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 22,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 1,298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in National Vision by 3.2% in 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.

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.