Vital Farms Executive Sells 20k Shares Amid Social Media Backlash Surrounding Company
Key Points
Vital Farms executive Matthew Ohayer sold 20,000 direct shares for a transaction value of approximately $558,136 on Feb. 2, 2026.
This sale represented 0.3% of Ohayer's direct holdings, with 6,341,190 shares remaining directly owned post-transaction.
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Matthew Ohayer, Executive Chairperson of Vital Farms (NASDAQ:VITL), executed the sale of 20,000 shares in multiple open-market transactions on Feb. 2, 2026, totaling approximately $558,136, according to a SEC Form 4 filing.
Transaction summary
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares sold (direct) | 20,000 |
| Transaction value | $558,13 |
| Post-transaction shares (direct) | 6,341,190 |
| Post-transaction shares (indirect) | 400,000 |
| Post-transaction value (direct ownership) | $174,002,253.60 |
Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($27.91); post-transaction value based on Feb. 2, 2026 market close ($27.44).
Key questions
- How does the size of this transaction compare to Ohayer's historical trading pattern?
The 20,000-share sale is slightly below the historical median sell size of 24,000 shares. - What portion of Ohayer's total ownership was impacted by this transaction?
The sale affected only direct holdings, accounting for 0.31% of direct ownership, leaving the indirect position of 400,000 shares unchanged.
Company overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue (TTM) | $711.88 million |
| Net income (TTM) | $60.54 million |
| Employees | 598 |
| 1-year price change | -23.21% |
* 1-year price change calculated as of market close Feb. 21, 2026.
Company snapshot
Vital Farms is a leading U.S. provider of pasture-raised eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and butter, leveraging a network of small family farms to deliver ethically sourced products at scale. The company targets health-conscious consumers and retailers seeking ethically produced, high-quality food products in the United States.
What this transaction means for investors
Still only five years removed from its IPO, Vital Farms stock is still currently declining for over the past year, after falling approximately 15% for the year of 2025, and down another 15% in 2026 as of Feb. 21.
Earlier this month the company faced social media criticism for people concerned that their egg products and accused them of allegedly having soy, corn, and linoleic acid, found from lab test results.
Many have pushed back against those concerns as the company has historically been transparent about feeding its hens a diet of mainly soy and corn.
Also, linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid, which is considered an essential nutrient that the body cannot product on its own. Regardless the company has its Q4 earnings report for fiscal year 2025 on Feb. 26, so investors may want to wait until the report releases before making a significant investing decision in the stock.
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Adé Hennis has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Vital Farms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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