AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. $VLRS

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC significantly increased its ownership in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by purchasing 977,249 shares, raising its stake by 322.5% to hold around 1.1% of the company, valued at approximately $6.68 million.
• Analysts have expressed mixed sentiments about the stock, with changes in ratings where Citigroup downgraded VLRS to "neutral" while Barclays increased its target price, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion reported a net loss with an EPS of ($0.54) but exceeded revenue expectations with $693 million in the latest quarter, projecting an EPS of 1.21 for the current year.

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS - Free Report) by 322.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,280,268 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 977,249 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 1.10% of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion worth $6,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the first quarter valued at $105,000. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 1st quarter valued at about $112,000. Advisors Preferred LLC increased its stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 2,289.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC now owns 59,121 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 56,647 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,150 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 7,088 shares during the period. Finally, SouthState Corp boosted its position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 194.5% in the first quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 85,400 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 56,400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.32% of the company's stock.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Stock Down 2.8%

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $6.07. 338,003 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 416,689. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. has a 52-week low of $3.49 and a 52-week high of $9.00. The firm has a market cap of $707.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.46 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.69. The company's 50-day moving average is $5.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.08.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The transportation company reported ($0.54) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $664.01 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

VLRS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price 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. Barclays lifted their target price on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $4.50 to $5.50 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.