Short Interest in National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) Grows By 13.4%

National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYE) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,720,000 shares, an increase of 13.4% from the December 31st total of 3,280,000 shares. Currently, 4.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,350,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

National Vision Price Performance

Shares of National Vision stock traded down $0.34 on Monday, reaching $11.06. The stock had a trading volume of 1,022,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,019. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. National Vision has a 1 year low of $9.56 and a 1 year high of $24.11. The company has a market cap of $870.98 million, a P/E ratio of -55.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.44.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $451.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $451.13 million. National Vision had a negative net margin of 0.81% and a positive return on equity of 3.52%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.09 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that National Vision will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Vision

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EYE. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of National Vision by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 104,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,373,000 after buying an additional 2,514 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in National Vision during the second quarter valued at about $371,000. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in National Vision during the second quarter valued at about $555,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in National Vision by 13.4% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 20,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in shares of National Vision by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 76,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on National Vision from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of National Vision from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.40.

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.