Investors Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL)

Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 3,449 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 110% compared to the average volume of 1,646 put options.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VITL traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $12.96. 487,768 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,181,211. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $21.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.68. The company has a market cap of $580.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.01 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.16. Vital Farms has a 52 week low of $12.53 and a 52 week high of $53.13.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported $0.35 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $212.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vital Farms will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on VITL. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho cut their target price on Vital Farms from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Vital Farms from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $47.00 price objective on Vital Farms and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.82.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Karl Khoury acquired 5,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.45 per share, with a total value of $92,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 119,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,210,107.05. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $406,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 6,321,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $128,509,792.70. This represents a 0.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 65,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,736,050 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vital Farms

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 22.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,845,714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,892,000 after buying an additional 530,008 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in Vital Farms by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 2,687,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,831,000 after acquiring an additional 324,725 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Vital Farms by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,047,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,412,000 after acquiring an additional 26,150 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Vital Farms by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,520,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,564,000 after acquiring an additional 142,790 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Vital Farms by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,293,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,324,000 after acquiring an additional 508,222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

About Vital Farms

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.