Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 296,416 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 42,982 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.68% of Vital Farms worth $11,172,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VITL. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the fourth quarter valued at $2,765,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Vital Farms by 38.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 266,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,343,000 after purchasing an additional 74,593 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Vital Farms by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 372,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,066,000 after purchasing an additional 34,412 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vital Farms in the 4th quarter worth about $699,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vital Farms by 882.6% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 20,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 18,252 shares during the period. 98.59% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vital Farms Price Performance

Shares of VITL opened at $29.79 on Friday. Vital Farms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.82 and a fifty-two week high of $48.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.60. The company has a quick ratio of 2.81, a current ratio of 3.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60 and a beta of 0.95.

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

Insider Activity at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, CMO Kathryn Mckeon sold 12,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,944,222.24. The trade was a 21.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,628 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.24, for a total transaction of $1,885,086.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 668,202 shares in the company, valued at $28,224,852.48. This trade represents a 6.26 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 141,474 shares of company stock worth $5,844,140 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 27.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price target on shares of Vital Farms in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Craig Hallum began coverage on Vital Farms in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on Vital Farms from $44.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $43.71.

Vital Farms 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.