Principal Securities Inc. Acquires 380 Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,673 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 380 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $63,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VITL. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Vital Farms during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Vital Farms by 87.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 1,124 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth $199,000. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 3rd quarter worth $203,000. 98.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VITL shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $45.00 to $41.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Vital Farms from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Vital Farms from $34.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Craig Hallum began coverage on Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.57.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $30.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.64. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.40 and a 12 month high of $48.41. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49 and a beta of 0.90.

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

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In related news, insider Joanne Bal sold 28,246 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.10, for a total value of $1,273,894.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 59,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,677,632.10. This trade represents a 32.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.08, for a total transaction of $517,584.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 46,203 shares in the company, valued at $1,944,222.24. The trade was a 21.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 190,202 shares of company stock worth $7,855,957 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Company Profile

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.