VF (NYSE:VFC) Shares Gap Up After Insider Buying Activity

VF Corporation (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $12.00, but opened at $12.69. VF shares last traded at $12.95, with a volume of 1,694,213 shares changing hands.

Specifically, insider Bracken Darrell purchased 85,840 shares of VF stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.73 per share, for a total transaction of $1,006,903.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 295,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,465,112.38. This represents a 40.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Abhishek Dalmia purchased 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $11.78 per share, for a total transaction of $589,000.00. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 380,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,483,632.92. The trade was a 15.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In other VF news, Director Richard Carucci bought 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $12.05 per share, for a total transaction of $602,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 280,282 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,377,398.10. The trade was a 21.71% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VFC. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on VF from $28.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup cut VF from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $12.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. BNP Paribas reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of VF in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $16.00 price objective on shares of VF and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on VF from $25.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $16.21.

VF Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a PE ratio of -10.88, a PEG ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31.

VF (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The textile maker reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.01. VF had a negative net margin of 4.63% and a positive return on equity of 14.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.32) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that VF Corporation will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VF Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. VF's dividend payout ratio is presently -72.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of VF by 1,355.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 404,405 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $6,276,000 after buying an additional 376,615 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC grew its stake in shares of VF by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 3,874,781 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $83,153,000 after acquiring an additional 211,440 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in VF by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 928,753 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $14,414,000 after purchasing an additional 92,174 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of VF during the 1st quarter valued at $749,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of VF by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 152,410 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $2,365,000 after purchasing an additional 48,151 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company's stock.

About VF

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.