Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL Shares Purchased by Citigroup Inc.

Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 554.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,258 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 80,694 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Vital Farms worth $3,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 23.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,377,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,692,000 after acquiring an additional 258,092 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,728,000. 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 valued at $31,089,000 after purchasing an additional 18,682 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,903,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Vital Farms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,571,000. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Farms News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Vital Farms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus still shows some support — a recent aggregator noted a “Moderate Buy” consensus from analysts, which could provide buying interest if sentiment stabilizes. Analyst Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Some Wall Street commentary highlights bulls and reasons to consider the stock, which may attract opportunistic investors if shares overshoot to the downside. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transaction — major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares at about $20.33 (≈$406.6K). The sale is small relative to his ~6.32M share holding (≈0.32% reduction), so it’s a modest signal rather than a large forced liquidation. SEC Filing: Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm announced a securities‑class‑action investigation alleging Vital Farms may have provided materially misleading information to investors — such probes can increase legal risk, potential liabilities and near‑term headline volatility. Rosen Law Firm Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Vital Farms from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” which can accelerate outflows from model‑based funds and momentum traders. Zacks Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrades and lowered forecasts — Needham and Mizuho have reduced expectations for Vital Farms, and Benchmark cut to Hold and removed its price target after the company issued a “volatile” Q1 outlook. These analyst moves increase sell‑side pressure and signal uncertainty around near‑term revenue/earnings momentum. Needham Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lowered expectations as well, compounding the negative analyst trend and likely contributing to shorter‑term downside. Mizuho Lowers Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Benchmark’s downgrade tied to a cautious Q1 outlook — the firm cited tempered FY26 revenue growth and removed its price target, reinforcing recessionary/volume risk concerns that can pressure valuation multiples. Benchmark Downgrade

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $406,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,321,190 shares in the company, valued at $128,509,792.70. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction 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 represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 86,734 shares of company stock worth $2,498,827 over the last 90 days. 21.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho reduced 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 report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $50.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $24.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $20.01 on Thursday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.75 and a 12-month high of $53.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 2.16 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The company has a market capitalization of $896.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $27.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.48.

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

Vital Farms 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.