National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Price Target Raised to $17.00

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) had its price objective hoisted by Barclays from $14.00 to $17.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Loop Capital upped their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on National Vision from $13.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on National Vision from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America upgraded National Vision from an “underperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on National Vision from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $17.57.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EYE opened at $18.63 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of -93.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $12.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.85. National Vision has a fifty-two week low of $9.56 and a fifty-two week high of $19.41.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Ravi Acharya sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.75, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $219,375. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in National Vision by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,719,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715,582 shares during the last quarter. Engine Capital Management LP raised its position in National Vision by 127.5% during the 4th quarter. Engine Capital Management LP now owns 2,528,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417,002 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new position in National Vision during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,594,000. SG Capital Management LLC bought a new position in National Vision during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,827,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of National Vision by 81.5% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,053,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036,459 shares in 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.