HighTower Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE:VSTO)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE:VSTO) by 23.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,259 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,140 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vista Outdoor were worth $442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Vista Outdoor by 19.2% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,352,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,932,000 after purchasing an additional 218,018 shares in the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vista Outdoor during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,842,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vista Outdoor by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 871,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,146,000 after buying an additional 2,411 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Vista Outdoor by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 508,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,160,000 after acquiring an additional 5,945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC grew its position in Vista Outdoor by 528.8% in the third quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC now owns 503,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,708,000 after acquiring an additional 423,000 shares in the last quarter. 90.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VSTO. Roth Capital lowered Vista Outdoor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Vista Outdoor in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Roth Mkm cut shares of Vista Outdoor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $42.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered shares of Vista Outdoor from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Aegis downgraded Vista Outdoor from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.20.

Vista Outdoor Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VSTO opened at $44.63 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $44.31 and its 200 day moving average is $40.45. The stock has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -247.94 and a beta of 0.79. Vista Outdoor Inc. has a 52-week low of $26.05 and a 52-week high of $44.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Vista Outdoor (NYSE:VSTO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $665.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $666.72 million. Vista Outdoor had a negative net margin of 0.34% and a positive return on equity of 19.53%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Vista Outdoor Inc. will post 4 EPS for the current year.

About Vista Outdoor

Vista Outdoor Inc designs, manufactures, and markets outdoor recreation and shooting sports products. in the United States and internationally. The Kinetic Group segment designs, develops, distributes, and manufactures ammunition, primers, and components for hunters, recreational shooters, federal and local law enforcement agencies, and the military.