Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Purchases 257,492 Shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL)

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust raised its position in shares of Vital Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:VITL) by 93.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 531,676 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 257,492 shares during the quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned 1.23% of Vital Farms worth $18,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Vital Farms by 2,006.1% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 148,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,454,000 after buying an additional 141,488 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vital Farms in the 1st quarter worth $1,003,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Vital Farms by 29.7% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 937,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,859,000 after purchasing an additional 214,839 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Vital Farms during the second quarter valued at $2,300,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in Vital Farms by 116.1% during the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 862,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,056,000 after purchasing an additional 463,471 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.59% of the company’s stock.

Vital Farms Trading Down 0.3 %

VITL stock opened at $34.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.50 and a quick ratio of 3.03. Vital Farms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.18 and a 1-year high of $48.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.28. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.60 and a beta of 0.97.

Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $147.39 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $138.41 million. Vital Farms had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 22.77%. Vital Farms’s quarterly revenue was up 38.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.15 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Vital Farms, Inc. will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VITL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen raised Vital Farms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Vital Farms from $42.00 to $34.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Vital Farms from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.20.

Insider Transactions at Vital Farms

In other Vital Farms news, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares in the company, valued at $21,531,574.43. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Matthew Ohayer sold 24,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.09, for a total transaction of $938,160.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,194,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $281,243,832.93. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Russell Diez-Canseco sold 44,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $1,789,245.71. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 537,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,531,574.43. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.