Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS) Stock Price Up 10.5% on Earnings Beat

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 10.5% during trading on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $4.98 and last traded at $4.88. Approximately 500,176 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 925,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.41.

The transportation company reported ($0.54) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.75) by $0.21. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion had a negative return on equity of 9.89% and a negative net margin of 1.03%. The company had revenue of $693.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $664.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.09 earnings per share.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLRS shares. Itau BBA Securities cut Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley cut Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $4.40 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $9.60 to $8.60 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 10th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $12.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $13.00 to $7.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,396 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,150 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 7,088 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Sei Investments Co. bought a new position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 273,847 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 10,706 shares during the last quarter. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Stock Up 1.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $626.95 million, a P/E ratio of -19.91 and a beta of 2.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $4.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.65.

About Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiary, Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAP.I. de C.V., provides air transportation services for passengers, cargo, and mail in Mexico and internationally. The company operates approximately 590 daily flights on routes connecting 43 cities in Mexico, 22 cities in the United States, 4 cities in Central America, and 2 cities in South America.