V.F. (NYSE:VFC) Stock Rating Lowered by BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was downgraded by BNP Paribas Exane from a "neutral" to an "underperform" rating, reflecting a bearish outlook on the company's performance.
• Several analysts have also revised their price targets on V.F., with estimates ranging from $12.00 to $19.00, indicating mixed sentiment among investors.
• Insider buying activity has been noted, with key executives purchasing significant shares, demonstrating confidence in the company's future despite recent downgrades.

BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of V.F. (NYSE:VFC - Free Report) from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on V.F. from $17.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded V.F. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Telsey Advisory Group restated a "market perform" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of V.F. in a research note on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on V.F. from $15.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas restated a "neutral" rating on shares of V.F. in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, V.F. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.04.

V.F. Stock Down 0.5%

NYSE VFC traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.66. 13,586,900 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,939,854. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. V.F. has a 52-week low of $9.41 and a 52-week high of $29.02. The firm has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.69, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.68.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The textile maker reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.35) by $0.11. V.F. had a positive return on equity of 22.77% and a negative net margin of 0.50%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.33) EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that V.F. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. V.F.'s payout ratio is -72.00%.

Insider Activity at V.F.

In other news, EVP Abhishek Dalmia purchased 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.78 per share, with a total value of $589,000.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 380,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,483,632.92. This represents a 15.12% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bracken Darrell acquired 85,840 shares of V.F. stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $11.73 per share, for a total transaction of $1,006,903.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 295,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,465,112.38. This represents a 40.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 185,840 shares of company stock worth $2,198,403 over the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On V.F.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VFC. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of V.F. by 94.8% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,975 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of V.F. in the first quarter valued at about $350,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of V.F. in the first quarter valued at about $749,000. Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of V.F. by 46.2% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 152,410 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $2,365,000 after buying an additional 48,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of V.F. by 11.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 277,442 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $4,306,000 after buying an additional 27,727 shares in the last quarter. 86.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About V.F.

VF Corp. engages in the business of producing and marketing apparel, footwear, and accessories. It operates through the following segments: Outdoor, Active, Work, and Other. The Outdoor segment includes authentic outdoor-based lifestyle brands such as performance-based and outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment.