Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 382,016 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,281 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.49% of National Vision worth $3,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in National Vision by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 28,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its stake in National Vision by 6.3% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 21,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in National Vision by 64.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,292 shares during the period. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in National Vision by 15.3% in the third quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in National Vision by 7.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 32,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 2,404 shares during the period.

National Vision Stock Performance

Shares of National Vision stock opened at $12.09 on Wednesday. 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 $952.49 million, a P/E ratio of -60.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.03. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.56 and a 12 month high of $24.11.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on National Vision from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on National Vision from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $14.20.

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.