National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,120,000 shares, an increase of 6.7% from the August 31st total of 4,800,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,180,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 6.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

National Vision Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:EYE opened at $10.69 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $839.82 million, a P/E ratio of -11.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.41. National Vision has a 12 month low of $9.60 and a 12 month high of $24.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $11.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.61.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.06. National Vision had a negative net margin of 4.00% and a positive return on equity of 3.53%. The business had revenue of $451.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 earnings per share. National Vision’s revenue was down 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that National Vision will post 0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of National Vision from $20.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of National Vision from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of National Vision from $16.00 to $11.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Three 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Vision

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EYE. Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of National Vision by 6.1% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 76,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,004,000 after buying an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its holdings in National Vision by 13.4% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 20,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 2,384 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of National Vision by 115.7% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 2,479,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330,023 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of National Vision in the 2nd quarter valued at $555,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new position in shares of National Vision in the 2nd quarter worth $253,000.

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.