Andrew Meslow Buys 24,926 Shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Stock

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Director Andrew Meslow bought 24,926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $3.73 per share, for a total transaction of $92,973.98. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 650,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,424,500. This trade represents a 3.99% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Vera Bradley Stock Up 5.0%

NASDAQ:VRA opened at $3.77 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $3.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.05. The stock has a market cap of $107.22 million, a PE ratio of -5.46 and a beta of 1.62. Vera Bradley, Inc. has a 52 week low of $1.39 and a 52 week high of $4.39.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.33) by $0.24. The business had revenue of $55.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.12 million. Vera Bradley had a negative return on equity of 6.66% and a negative net margin of 7.02%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post -0.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRA. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 7.9% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 163,636 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 12,021 shares during the period. Simplex Trading LLC boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Simplex Trading LLC now owns 35,083 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 12,442 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vera Bradley during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 7.0% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 221,716 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $701,000 after buying an additional 14,500 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 103,586 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 15,200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on VRA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Vera Bradley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vera Bradley has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

Vera Bradley, Inc (NASDAQ: VRA) is a lifestyle and accessories designer specializing in colorful, patterned handbags, luggage, travel accessories and coordinated home décor. Founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the company first gained recognition for its quilted cotton bags sold at craft shows before expanding into an established fashion brand. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vera Bradley has built a reputation for distinctive prints and functional design aimed primarily at women’s casual and travel needs.

The company’s product portfolio includes day bags, weekenders, backpacks, wallets, and organizational cases, as well as an expanding range of travel gear such as rolling luggage and travel pouches.