Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Short Interest Update

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 7,882,824 shares, a decrease of 16.8% from the February 12th total of 9,472,602 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,026,746 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days. Approximately 22.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 22.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,026,746 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Vital Farms Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:VITL opened at $17.21 on Monday. Vital Farms has a 52-week low of $17.00 and a 52-week high of $53.13. The company has a market capitalization of $771.01 million, a P/E ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.16.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $213.55 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.83 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 20.69% and a net margin of 8.73%.Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vital Farms will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VITL shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total value of $406,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,321,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $128,509,792.70. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Karl Khoury purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 119,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,210,107.05. This represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 65,000 shares of company stock worth $1,736,050 in the last ninety days. 21.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VITL. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Vital Farms by 89.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 19,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 9,136 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Vital Farms by 5.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Vital Farms by 3.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 415,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,658,000 after buying an additional 13,397 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Vital Farms during the first quarter worth about $1,073,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 89,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,739,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.