Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 51,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,798,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Vital Farms as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VITL. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Vital Farms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $660,000. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,003,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 2,006.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 148,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,454,000 after acquiring an additional 141,488 shares during the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 1st quarter valued at $2,588,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,650,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,613,000 after purchasing an additional 224,335 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,531,574.43. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Vital Farms news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total value of $938,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 7,194,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $281,243,832.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,531,574.43. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Stock Up 2.6 %

NASDAQ VITL opened at $35.46 on Wednesday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.55 and a 1 year high of $48.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 33.45 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.50 and a quick ratio of 3.03. The business’s 50-day moving average is $34.83 and its 200 day moving average is $36.50.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $147.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $138.41 million. Vital Farms had a return on equity of 22.77% and a net margin of 8.70%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 38.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.15 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on VITL shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen upgraded Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $39.50.

About Vital Farms

Vital Farms, Inc, a food company, provides pasture-raised products in the United States. It offers shell eggs, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.