National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $20.94, but opened at $18.99. National Vision shares last traded at $16.2460, with a volume of 1,406,380 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on EYE. Wolfe Research set a $35.00 price target on shares of National Vision in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of National Vision from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of National Vision from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.08.

National Vision Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 44.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $25.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.48.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $503.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $495.26 million. National Vision had a return on equity of 5.15% and a net margin of 1.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.04) earnings per share. National Vision has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.850-1.090 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at National Vision

In other news, Chairman L Reade Fahs sold 4,071 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.57, for a total transaction of $120,379.47. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 359,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,626,245.63. This represents a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of National Vision

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in National Vision by 1.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,062,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,304,000 after acquiring an additional 32,595 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in National Vision by 3,723.8% in the first quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,001 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 12,661 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in National Vision by 101.7% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 762,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,742,000 after acquiring an additional 384,301 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in National Vision by 530.6% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 80,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,092,000 after acquiring an additional 67,980 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in National Vision by 2.4% in the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 33,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares during the period.

About National Vision

National Vision Holdings, Inc is an American optical retailer specializing in accessible vision care and eyewear. The company operates under multiple retail banners, offering comprehensive eye health services and a wide range of optical products. Since its founding in the early 1990s, National Vision has focused on providing value-driven solutions, targeting underserved and price?conscious consumer segments.

Through its primary retail brands—including America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Optical America and Vista Optical—National Vision delivers services such as comprehensive eye examinations, prescription eyewear, contact lenses, sunglasses and lens accessories.