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

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

National Vision Stock Performance

Shares of National Vision stock opened at $10.80 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $11.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.23. National Vision has a 1 year low of $9.56 and a 1 year high of $24.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

National Vision (NASDAQ:EYE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.06. National Vision had a positive return on equity of 3.52% and a negative net margin of 0.81%. The firm had revenue of $451.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $451.13 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.09 earnings per share. National Vision’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that National Vision will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on National Vision from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On National Vision

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EYE. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in National Vision by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 28,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 6.3% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 21,404 shares of the company’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of National Vision by 64.6% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares in the last quarter. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in National Vision by 15.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in National Vision by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 20,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,000 after buying an additional 2,384 shares in the last quarter.

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.