Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Short Interest Update

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,405,998 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the February 26th total of 1,144,785 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 748,604 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 5.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Vera Bradley Price Performance

Vera Bradley stock opened at $3.21 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $2.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.52. The firm has a market cap of $89.72 million, a P/E ratio of -1.87 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.37. Vera Bradley has a 52 week low of $1.39 and a 52 week high of $3.80.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The textile maker reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.08. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 17.74% and a negative return on equity of 12.00%. The company had revenue of $84.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.73 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Vera Bradley will post -0.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VRA. Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 1,846,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,711,000 after buying an additional 243,900 shares during the period. Peapod Lane Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 875,893 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,120,000 after acquiring an additional 110,485 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 21.5% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 542,579 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after acquiring an additional 96,044 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 133.2% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 467,127 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after acquiring an additional 266,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Impala Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter worth about $976,000. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on VRA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vera Bradley currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

About Vera Bradley

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.