Vuzix (NASDAQ:VUZI) Upgraded to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Vuzix from a "sell" to a "hold" while Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (D-)," leaving MarketBeat's consensus rating at "Hold."
• Shares traded up about 3.3% to open at $2.47 (market cap ~$205M); Vuzix reported Q earnings of EPS -$0.12 (missing estimates) and revenue of $2.24M (slightly above consensus) but continues to show very negative margins and ROE.
• Insider Christopher Iain Parkinson sold 11,663 shares in March, even as institutional investors—led by large increases from State Street, Vanguard and Millennium—have substantially boosted holdings; institutions now own roughly 35.87% of the stock.

Vuzix (NASDAQ:VUZI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Vuzix in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vuzix presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Vuzix Trading Up 3.3%

NASDAQ:VUZI opened at $2.47 on Friday. Vuzix has a 12 month low of $1.71 and a 12 month high of $4.29. The company has a market cap of $205.41 million, a PE ratio of -5.88 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $2.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2.86.

Vuzix (NASDAQ:VUZI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.03). Vuzix had a negative net margin of 513.82% and a negative return on equity of 112.96%. The business had revenue of $2.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 million.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Iain Parkinson sold 11,663 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.69, for a total transaction of $31,373.47. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 131,130 shares of the company's stock, valued at $352,739.70. The trade was a 8.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 8.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vuzix

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Vuzix by 373.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,226,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,315,000 after acquiring an additional 5,700,613 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Vuzix by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,631,584 shares of the company's stock worth $11,367,000 after buying an additional 147,811 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Vuzix by 71.6% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,032,366 shares of the company's stock worth $7,825,000 after buying an additional 848,142 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vuzix by 278.1% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,911,972 shares of the company's stock worth $3,900,000 after buying an additional 1,406,234 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vuzix by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,039 shares of the company's stock worth $5,860,000 after buying an additional 40,576 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 35.87% of the company's stock.

About Vuzix

Vuzix Corporation NASDAQ: VUZI is a technology company specializing in the design, development and manufacture of wearable display devices and smart glasses. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Vuzix focuses on next-generation augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) solutions that enable hands-free access to video, data and applications. Its products integrate high-resolution optics, onboard sensors and wireless connectivity to support immersive visual experiences for professional and consumer use.

Vuzix's product portfolio includes smart glasses and head-mounted displays such as the Vuzix Blade series and the M400 family.

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