Short Interest in Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) Expands By 42.2%

Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,730,000 shares, an increase of 42.2% from the February 28th total of 6,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,540,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on VIPS shares. Barclays upped their target price on Vipshop from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vipshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vipshop currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $15.10.

Institutional Trading of Vipshop

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Vipshop by 17.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $134,000 after buying an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Vipshop in the fourth quarter valued at about $161,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Vipshop by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,241 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in Vipshop during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $165,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new stake in Vipshop during the third quarter valued at approximately $175,000. Institutional investors own 48.82% of the company’s stock.

Vipshop Stock Performance

Shares of VIPS traded down $0.44 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $15.69. 3,140,821 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,837,172. The company has a market cap of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 7.51, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.55 and its 200-day moving average is $14.61. Vipshop has a 52 week low of $11.50 and a 52 week high of $17.94.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). Vipshop had a net margin of 7.50% and a return on equity of 20.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vipshop will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. Vipshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.24%.

About Vipshop

Vipshop Holdings Limited operates online platforms in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Vip.com, Shan Shan Outlets, and Others segments. The company offers womenswear, menswear, sportswear and sporting goods, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.