Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Lifted to “Strong-Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Vera Bradley Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of VRA opened at $6.37 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.25. The firm has a market cap of $196.13 million, a PE ratio of 25.48 and a beta of 1.89. Vera Bradley has a 1-year low of $4.60 and a 1-year high of $8.35.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vera Bradley by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,338,827 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $10,309,000 after buying an additional 26,306 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of Vera Bradley during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,672,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Vera Bradley by 75.6% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 74,702 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 32,170 shares in the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new stake in Vera Bradley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $347,000. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Prelude Capital Management LLC now owns 23,200 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 7,700 shares in the last quarter. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

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.