National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE – Get Rating) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 494,101 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,464 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in National Vision were worth $19,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EYE. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of National Vision in the 3rd quarter valued at $74,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in National Vision by 420.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 2,071 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in National Vision by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new position in National Vision during the 3rd quarter worth $93,000. Finally, Strs Ohio boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other National Vision news, CEO L Reade Fahs bought 12,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.81 per share, with a total value of $300,601.25. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 556,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,251,455.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EYE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of National Vision from $48.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of National Vision from $41.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of National Vision from $43.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of National Vision from $50.00 to $31.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of National Vision from $45.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, National Vision currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.33.

National Vision Trading Down 2.9 %

NASDAQ:EYE opened at $24.71 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.88. National Vision Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.25 and a 52 week high of $43.82. The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 66.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). The company had revenue of $468.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $471.61 million. National Vision had a return on equity of 3.99% and a net margin of 1.48%. On average, analysts predict that National Vision Holdings, Inc. will post 0.36 EPS for the current year.

National Vision Profile

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National Vision Holdings, Inc engages in the retail of optical products. It operates through the following segments: Owned and Host, Legacy, and Corporate/Other. The Owned and Host segment offers America’s Best and Eyeglass World brands. The Legacy segment includes inventory and lab processing services.