Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 55.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 20,751 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25,345 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VITL. Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth $4,711,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 191.2% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. grew its position in Vital Farms by 40.6% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 83,917 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,163,000 after buying an additional 24,234 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at about $291,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vital Farms by 78.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,171,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,172,000 after acquiring an additional 516,139 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $33.11 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.24 and a quick ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.56 and a beta of 0.90. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.55 and a 12-month high of $48.41.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.68% and a return on equity of 22.29%. The firm had revenue of $165.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.32 million. Equities analysts predict that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.19, for a total value of $1,036,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,014,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $302,973,099.10. This represents a 0.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total transaction of $517,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 46,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,944,222.24. The trade was a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 190,202 shares of company stock valued at $7,855,957 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VITL has been the subject of several research reports. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on Vital Farms in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $44.57.

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.