Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Key Points

• Vera Bradley has been downgraded from a "hold" to a "sell" rating by Wall Street Zen, suggesting a negative outlook for the stock.
• The company's recent earnings report showed a loss of ($0.02) EPS, which was better than expected, but its revenues fell short of estimates at $70.86 million compared to a forecast of $78.52 million.
• Institutional investors control approximately 59.88% of Vera Bradley's stock, indicating significant investment interest despite the recent downgrade and negative performance indicators.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Small Cap Consu upgraded shares of Vera Bradley to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Vera Bradley Stock Down 1.3%

VRA opened at $2.24 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. Vera Bradley has a 1-year low of $1.71 and a 1-year high of $5.99. The company has a market capitalization of $62.59 million, a PE ratio of -0.64 and a beta of 1.85. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $2.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.10.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $70.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.52 million. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 32.31% and a negative return on equity of 15.27%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vera Bradley will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VRA. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Vera Bradley by 266.8% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 41,000 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $91,000 after acquiring an additional 29,823 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Vera Bradley by 12.1% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 303,938 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 32,702 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 224.4% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 185,035 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 127,994 shares during the period. RBF Capital LLC acquired a new position in Vera Bradley in the second quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Vera Bradley in the second quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 59.88% of the company's stock.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

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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