Vital Farms, Inc. $VITL Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 34.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,100,274 shares of the company’s stock after selling 587,595 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 2.46% of Vital Farms worth $45,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 23.1% during the 3rd 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 period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Vital Farms during the third quarter worth $1,728,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 2.4% during the second 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 last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 554.1% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 95,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 80,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Vital Farms in the third quarter valued at $1,903,000. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vital Farms

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 16,734 shares of Vital Farms 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 649,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,771,424.20. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.85, for a total transaction of $771,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 6,361,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $196,242,711.50. The trade was a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 86,734 shares of company stock worth $2,498,827 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $19.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $891.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.81 and a beta of 1.14. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $19.61 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $27.36 and its 200-day moving average is $35.17.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VITL shares. DA Davidson set a $47.00 price target on Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. 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 research report on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on Vital Farms from $50.00 to $35.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $52.00 target price on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vital Farms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.00.

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.