Acuitas Investments LLC Lowers Stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS)

Acuitas Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS - Free Report) by 45.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 79,400 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 66,000 shares during the quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC owned about 0.07% of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion worth $414,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,396 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Sei Investments Co. bought a new position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 263,141 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,958,000 after purchasing an additional 17,158 shares in the last quarter. 53.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLRS traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.82. 472,939 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 908,787. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $4.40 and a 200 day moving average of $5.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $562.01 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 2.12. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. has a 1 year low of $3.49 and a 1 year high of $9.00.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.44) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.10. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion had a net margin of 1.38% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $678.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.83 million. On average, analysts forecast that Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. will post 1.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VLRS shares. Barclays cut shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $12.00 to $4.50 in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $10.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Itau BBA Securities downgraded Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $12.00 to $6.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $13.00 to $7.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $7.44.

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.