Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” by StockNews.com

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Vera Bradley Price Performance

VRA traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $7.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 137,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 285,214. Vera Bradley has a fifty-two week low of $4.60 and a fifty-two week high of $8.35. The stock has a market cap of $241.16 million, a PE ratio of 31.36 and a beta of 1.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $6.85 and its 200-day moving average is $7.28.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The textile maker reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $133.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.06 million. Vera Bradley had a net margin of 1.66% and a return on equity of 6.69%. Analysts expect that Vera Bradley will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VRA. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,983 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 1,394 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Vera Bradley by 26.0% in the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 14,470 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 2,990 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Vera Bradley by 73.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,174 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in Vera Bradley by 258.7% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,017 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 6,503 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000. 59.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vera Bradley

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.