Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a report on Monday, June 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vera Bradley has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Price Performance

Shares of Vera Bradley stock opened at $3.74 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.34. Vera Bradley has a 1 year low of $1.39 and a 1 year high of $4.39. The company has a market capitalization of $106.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.42 and a beta of 1.57.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $55.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.12 million. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 7.02% and a negative return on equity of 6.66%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Andrew Meslow purchased 24,926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $3.73 per share, with a total value of $92,973.98. Following the acquisition, the director owned 650,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,424,500. This trade represents a 3.99% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 14.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the second quarter worth $28,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley in the third quarter valued at about $49,000. Emissary Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Simplex Trading LLC increased its position in Vera Bradley by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 35,083 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 12,442 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Vera Bradley by 266.8% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 41,000 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 29,823 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

Vera Bradley, Inc (NASDAQ: VRA) is a lifestyle and accessories designer specializing in colorful, patterned handbags, luggage, travel accessories and coordinated home décor. Founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the company first gained recognition for its quilted cotton bags sold at craft shows before expanding into an established fashion brand. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vera Bradley has built a reputation for distinctive prints and functional design aimed primarily at women’s casual and travel needs.

The company’s product portfolio includes day bags, weekenders, backpacks, wallets, and organizational cases, as well as an expanding range of travel gear such as rolling luggage and travel pouches.