US Bancorp DE Increases Stake in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 160.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,416 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 872 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Vital Farms were worth $53,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VITL. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 29.4% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in Vital Farms by 191.2% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position 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 buying an additional 1,124 shares during the last quarter. 98.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In related news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,628 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.24, for a total value of $1,885,086.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 668,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,224,852.48. This trade represents a 6.26 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of Vital Farms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.19, for a total transaction of $1,036,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,014,890 shares in the company, valued at $302,973,099.10. This represents a 0.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 145,474 shares of company stock valued at $6,171,500. 27.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Vital Farms stock opened at $29.59 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $36.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.69. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.30 and a 1 year high of $48.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.42 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a current ratio of 3.24.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.32 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. TD Cowen lifted their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 28th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a report on Friday, February 28th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $43.71.

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.