Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Director Andrew Meslow Buys 24,926 Shares of Stock

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Director Andrew Meslow acquired 24,926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $3.73 per share, for a total transaction of $92,973.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 650,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,424,500. This represents a 3.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Vera Bradley Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of VRA stock opened at $3.59 on Wednesday. Vera Bradley, Inc. has a 12-month low of $1.39 and a 12-month high of $4.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $3.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $3.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.20 and a beta of 1.62.

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

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Impala Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the 4th quarter valued at $976,000. Klingman & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 106,722 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 53,000 shares during the period. Peapod Lane Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 14.4% in the 4th 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. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 103,586 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 15,200 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on VRA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Vera Bradley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

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.