National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) Upgraded by Bank of America to Buy Rating

Bank of America upgraded shares of National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) from an underperform rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports.

EYE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of National Vision from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of National Vision from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of National Vision from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, National Vision presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.14.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE opened at $17.17 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.72. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.02. National Vision has a 1-year low of $9.56 and a 1-year high of $17.26.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $510.32 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $510.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Vision

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EYE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of National Vision in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in National Vision by 309.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 3,707 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in National Vision by 87.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 7,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of National Vision during the first quarter valued at about $147,000. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 61.2% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 4,362 shares in the last quarter.

National Vision Company Profile

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.