Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Vera Bradley Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VRA traded up $0.16 on Wednesday, hitting $7.25. The company had a trading volume of 188,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,298. Vera Bradley has a 52-week low of $4.60 and a 52-week high of $8.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $6.74 and a 200 day moving average of $7.24. The company has a market cap of $223.01 million, a PE ratio of 29.00 and a beta of 1.89.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 13th. The textile maker reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.04). Vera Bradley had a net margin of 1.66% and a return on equity of 6.69%. The company had revenue of $133.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $136.06 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vera Bradley will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRA. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley during the third quarter worth about $44,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 73.7% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,174 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 3,044 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter valued at about $56,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 258.7% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,017 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 6,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the third quarter valued at about $83,000. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells women's handbags, luggage and travel items, fashion and home accessories, and gifts. It operates through three segments: Vera Bradley Direct, Vera Bradley Indirect, and Pura Vida. The company offers bag products, such as totes, crossbodies, satchels, clutches, backpacks, baby bags, and lunch bags; accessories, including ID holders, lanyards, wallets, wristlets, eyewear, scarves, hair accessories, and various technology accessories; bracelets, rings, and necklaces under Pura Vida brand name; and travel products consist of rolling luggage, cosmetics, and travel and packing accessories, as well as travel bags comprising duffel and weekend bags.

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