Short Interest in Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) Drops By 15.8%

Key Points

• Short interest dropped 15.8% to 4,401,862 shares as of April 15, with a days-to-cover ratio of 1.9 and about 1.2% of the company's shares sold short.
• Vipshop raised its annual dividend to $0.62 per share (paid April 24), up from $0.43, with a reported yield of 411.0% and a payout ratio of 30.15%.
• Institutional investors own 48.82% of the stock, including large position increases by Invesco, Krane and UBS, while analysts carry a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and an average price target of $20.48.

Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,401,862 shares, a drop of 15.8% from the March 31st total of 5,229,686 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,333,955 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Currently, 1.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Vipshop Price Performance

NYSE:VIPS traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $14.42. 185,147 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,099,039. Vipshop has a one year low of $13.35 and a one year high of $21.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.54. The company has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a PE ratio of 7.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.76.

Vipshop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 24th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Vipshop's previous annual dividend of $0.43. This represents a yield of 411.0%. Vipshop's payout ratio is presently 30.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vipshop

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Vipshop by 87.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 16,715,656 shares of the technology company's stock worth $328,295,000 after purchasing an additional 7,785,027 shares during the last quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vipshop by 24.9% in the 3rd quarter. Krane Funds Advisors LLC now owns 17,185,535 shares of the technology company's stock worth $320,424,000 after purchasing an additional 3,426,079 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Vipshop by 23,837.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,792,794 shares of the technology company's stock worth $49,405,000 after purchasing an additional 2,781,127 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Vipshop in the 4th quarter worth about $27,631,000. Finally, Packer & Co Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vipshop in the 4th quarter worth about $27,406,000. Institutional investors own 48.82% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Vipshop in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vipshop in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Nomura raised Vipshop from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $22.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research raised Vipshop from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vipshop from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vipshop has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $20.48.

Vipshop Company Profile

Vipshop Holdings Limited NYSE: VIPS is a leading online discount retailer in China, offering high-quality branded products at competitive prices through a time-limited, flash-sales model. The company provides consumers with access to a rotating selection of merchandise, combining the excitement of limited-time offers with curated brand partnerships to drive customer engagement and loyalty.

Vipshop’s platform features a diverse range of product categories, including apparel, footwear, cosmetics, home furnishings, digital electronics and other lifestyle goods.

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