Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded VLRS from “sell” to “hold,” while overall analyst sentiment remains mixed: three Buy, three Hold and three Sell ratings, with a consensus price target of $9.40.
• Shares opened at $6.40, near their 52-week low of $5.45 and below the 200-day moving average of $7.72. The airline reported a quarterly loss of $0.23 per share, missing expectations, despite revenue of $1.04 billion exceeding forecasts.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.32% of VLRS, with Bank of America increasing its stake by 55.4% and several other firms initiating new positions.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Sunday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $8.60 to $7.70 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $9.40.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Price Performance

Shares of VLRS stock opened at $6.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $746.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 1.81. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion has a 1 year low of $5.45 and a 1 year high of $10.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.31. The firm's 50 day moving average is $6.42 and its 200-day moving average is $7.72.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The transportation company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $982.29 million. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion had a negative net margin of 6.20% and a negative return on equity of 151.52%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion will post -2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VLRS. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 55.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 588,981 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,264,000 after purchasing an additional 209,978 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey Wright & Associates bought a new stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the first quarter worth about $1,840,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,279,000. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,103,000. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the 1st quarter worth approximately $860,000. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Company Profile

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAB. de C.V., operating under the Volaris brand, is a Mexican ultra-low-cost airline. The company provides scheduled passenger air transportation, along with ancillary services such as baggage, seat selection and other travel-related offerings.

Volaris began operations in 2006 and serves a broad network of destinations in Mexico, the United States, and Central America. Its business model emphasizes affordable base fares, high aircraft utilization and the separate sale of optional services.

Controladora Vuela is headquartered in Mexico City and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VLRS.

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