V.F. (NYSE:VFC) Stock Bumped Up to "Strong-Buy" by Truist Financial

Key Points

• Truist Financial upgraded V.F. to “Strong Buy” from “Hold” and set a $20 price target, implying approximately 24.8% upside from the reported $16.03 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: V.F. has an overall consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $17.92, despite recent upgrades from JPMorgan and Piper Sandler.
• V.F.’s latest quarter showed revenue of $1.67 billion, exceeding estimates, but adjusted earnings missed expectations and revenue declined 5.2% year over year. Company insiders also recently purchased shares, signaling confidence in the turnaround.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Truist Financial from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $20.00 price target on the textile maker's stock. Truist Financial's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 24.76% from the company's current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on V.F. from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on V.F. from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded V.F. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised V.F. from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $18.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of V.F. in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.92.

V.F. Price Performance

Shares of VFC opened at $16.03 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.43. V.F. has a fifty-two week low of $12.45 and a fifty-two week high of $22.27. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $13.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.19.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The textile maker reported ($0.27) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.22) by ($0.05). V.F. had a net margin of 2.88% and a return on equity of 18.91%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. V.F.'s revenue for the quarter was down 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that V.F. will post 1.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at V.F.

In other news, Director Richard Carucci acquired 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $14.73 per share, for a total transaction of $294,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 356,215 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,247,046.95. The trade was a 5.95% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bracken Darrell acquired 32,894 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.98 per share, for a total transaction of $492,752.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,402,109 shares in the company, valued at $21,003,592.82. This represents a 2.40% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of V.F.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VFC. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in V.F. by 27.9% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in V.F. by 282.9% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,255 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 27.3% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,682 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 213.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 8,078 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 5,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of V.F. in the second quarter worth approximately $171,000. Institutional investors own 86.84% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting V.F.

Here are the key news stories impacting V.F. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded VFC to Overweight from Neutral, signaling increased confidence in the company’s recovery potential and supporting the stock’s upward momentum. Piper Sandler upgrades VF to overweight from neutral
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays expressed optimism that VFC’s turnaround remains undervalued. The view suggests investors may not yet be fully pricing in potential improvements in the company’s brands, operations and financial performance. V.F. rises on Barclays optimism
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded VFC to Neutral from Underweight, removing a bearish stance and helping improve sentiment toward the stock. The upgrade indicates reduced downside concerns, even though it does not represent a bullish rating. JP Morgan upgrades VF to neutral from underweight
• Positive Sentiment: Recent gains occurred on above-average volume, while earnings-estimate revisions have shown signs of improvement, potentially indicating stronger investor interest and expectations for additional upside. Strength seen in V.F.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus maintained its Hold rating. The decision provides no new positive catalyst and underscores that some analysts remain cautious about the pace and durability of VFC’s turnaround. Stifel Nicolaus maintains Hold rating

V.F. Company Profile

V.F. Corporation NYSE: VFC is a global apparel, footwear and accessories company. Its portfolio includes well-known outdoor, active and workwear brands such as The North Face, Vans, Timberland and Dickies, which offer products ranging from outdoor clothing and hiking footwear to casual apparel, skate shoes and workwear.

The company sells its products through wholesale customers, brand-operated stores, e-commerce platforms and other digital channels. V.F. serves consumers in markets worldwide, with operations and distribution spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other international regions.

Founded in 1899 as a manufacturer of gloves and mittens, the company later expanded into apparel and became known as Vanity Fair Mills before adopting the V.F.

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