National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $11.44, but opened at $13.50. National Vision shares last traded at $12.77, with a volume of 790,614 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on EYE shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of National Vision from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, National Vision currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.40.

National Vision Trading Up 16.6 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -66.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $11.25 and its 200 day moving average is $10.96.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by ($0.02). National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 0.81%. On average, equities analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of National Vision by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,411,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,491,000 after acquiring an additional 167,735 shares during the period. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of National Vision by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. now owns 4,675,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,719,000 after acquiring an additional 2,715,582 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in National Vision by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,702,371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,577,000 after buying an additional 30,235 shares during the period. Engine Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,417,002 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in National Vision by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,308,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036,459 shares during the period.

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.