Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Downgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning.

Vera Bradley Stock Down 2.8 %

VRA opened at $6.59 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $6.83 and a 200 day moving average of $7.24. Vera Bradley has a 52-week low of $4.60 and a 52-week high of $8.35. The stock has a market cap of $202.91 million, a P/E ratio of 26.36 and a beta of 1.89.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The textile maker reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.04). Vera Bradley had a net margin of 1.66% and a return on equity of 6.69%. The business had revenue of $133.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.06 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley will post 0.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley in the first quarter worth about $101,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter worth about $3,672,000. Fund 1 Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 93.6% in the fourth quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 1,762,471 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $13,571,000 after acquiring an additional 852,330 shares in the last quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter worth about $4,281,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter worth about $94,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells women's handbags, luggage and travel items, fashion and home accessories, and gifts. It operates through three segments: Vera Bradley Direct, Vera Bradley Indirect, and Pura Vida. The company offers bag products, such as totes, crossbodies, satchels, clutches, backpacks, baby bags, and lunch bags; accessories, including ID holders, lanyards, wallets, wristlets, eyewear, scarves, hair accessories, and various technology accessories; bracelets, rings, and necklaces under Pura Vida brand name; and travel products consisting of rolling luggage, cosmetics, and travel and packing accessories, as well as travel bags comprising duffel and weekend bags.