Simplicity Solutions LLC Takes Position in V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC)

Simplicity Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 38,331 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $721,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 106.9% during the 1st quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,131 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 17,451 shares during the last quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 2,835.6% during the 4th quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 1,321 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,276 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of V.F. during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of V.F. during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, CKW Financial Group purchased a new position in V.F. in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

V.F. Stock Down 2.5 %

NYSE:VFC opened at $12.25 on Thursday. V.F. Co. has a 52 week low of $11.91 and a 52 week high of $23.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $15.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.36.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.22). V.F. had a negative net margin of 7.07% and a positive return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. V.F.’s revenue was down 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that V.F. Co. will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 8th. V.F.’s payout ratio is -18.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Bracken Darrell acquired 65,360 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.38 per share, for a total transaction of $1,005,236.80. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 144,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,219,041.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Bracken Darrell acquired 65,360 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.38 per share, for a total transaction of $1,005,236.80. Following the acquisition, the insider now owns 144,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,219,041.78. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Juliana L. Chugg acquired 11,301 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $17.55 per share, for a total transaction of $198,332.55. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,582.55. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on V.F. from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of V.F. in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Williams Trading restated a “sell” rating on shares of V.F. in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered V.F. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $19.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded V.F. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, V.F. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.97.

V.F. Profile

V.F. Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, procurement, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and related products for men, women, and children in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Outdoor, Active, and Work.