Short Interest in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Increases By 8.2%

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,430,000 shares, an increase of 8.2% from the September 30th total of 5,940,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,900,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Currently, 8.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

National Vision Stock Up 2.2 %

NASDAQ EYE opened at $10.40 on Friday. National Vision has a 52-week low of $9.56 and a 52-week high of $24.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $10.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.06. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.53% and a negative net margin of 4.00%. The firm had revenue of $451.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.35 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.11 earnings per share. National Vision’s quarterly revenue was down 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that National Vision will post 0.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Vision

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of National Vision by 44.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in National Vision by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,076 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its stake in shares of National Vision by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 68,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Vision by 10.0% during the second quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 20,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of National Vision by 15.3% in the third quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their target price on National Vision from $16.00 to $11.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on National Vision from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, National Vision has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.25.

National Vision Company Profile

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.