Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research note on Friday, September 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vera Bradley has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Trading Down 2.4%

NASDAQ VRA opened at $4.15 on Friday. Vera Bradley has a 12-month low of $1.39 and a 12-month high of $4.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.06 million, a P/E ratio of -11.22 and a beta of 1.59.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 15th. The textile maker reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.19. Vera Bradley had a negative return on equity of 3.80% and a negative net margin of 3.66%.The firm had revenue of $71.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.17) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vera Bradley will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Vera Bradley during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,686,000. Impala Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the 4th quarter valued at $976,000. Saba Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Vera Bradley in the 1st quarter valued at $916,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Vera Bradley by 31.6% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,038,807 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,283,000 after acquiring an additional 249,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Luxor Capital Group LP purchased a new stake in Vera Bradley during the first quarter valued at about $610,000. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc is a lifestyle and accessories company best known for its colorful, patterned handbags and travel products. Its merchandise includes totes, crossbody bags, backpacks, wallets, accessories, luggage, apparel, home goods and gifts, with collections designed for everyday use, travel and personal style.

The company operates primarily through the Vera Bradley brand and Pura Vida, a lifestyle brand offering bracelets, jewelry, accessories and related products. Vera Bradley sells its products through company-operated stores, outlet locations, e-commerce websites and wholesale partners, including specialty retailers and department stores.