Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) vs. ASOS PLS (OTCMKTS:ASOMY) Critical Contrast

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) and ASOS PLS (OTCMKTS:ASOMY) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, risk and profitability.

Profitability

This table compares Vera Bradley and ASOS PLS’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Vera Bradley	-25.52%	-11.07%	-6.69%
ASOS PLS	N/A	N/A	N/A

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Vera Bradley and ASOS PLS, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Vera Bradley	0	2	0	0	2.00
ASOS PLS	1	1	0	0	1.50

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Vera Bradley and ASOS PLS”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Vera Bradley	$371.97 million	0.16	-$62.19 million	($3.16)	-0.66
ASOS PLS	$3.66 billion	0.13	-$427.20 million	N/A	N/A

Vera Bradley has higher earnings, but lower revenue than ASOS PLS.

Risk and Volatility

Vera Bradley has a beta of 1.76, meaning that its stock price is 76% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ASOS PLS has a beta of 2.18, meaning that its stock price is 118% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

59.9% of Vera Bradley shares are owned by institutional investors. 12.1% of Vera Bradley shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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. It also provides home products that include throw blankets, beach towels, and comforters, as well as items, such as mugs and tumblers; apparel/footwear comprising sleepwear, footwear, outerwear, tees and hoodies, and socks; and stationery and merchandising products, as well as freight, licensing, and gift card breakage services. The company sells its Vera Bradley branded products through its full-line and outlet stores in the United States; verabradley.com, an online outlet site; its annual outlet sale in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It sells its Pura Vida branded products through wholesale retailers and Pura Vida websites, including www.puravidabracelets.com, www.puravidabracelets.eu, and www.puravidabracelets.ca; and Vera Bradley Indirect branded products to specialty retail locations, department stores, national accounts, third party e-commerce sites, third-party inventory liquidators, and through licensing agreements. Vera Bradley, Inc. was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in Roanoke, Indiana.

About ASOS PLS

ASOS Plc operates as an online fashion retailer in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and internationally. It offers womenswear and menswear products. The company sells its products under the ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS Luxe, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, HIIT, AsYou, Dark Future, UNRVLLD/SPPLY, Crooked Tongues, Daysocial, Actual, and Weekend Collective brands, as well as through third-party brands. It is also involved in the employer of marketing staff and payment processing businesses, as well as acts as a vehicle for issue of convertible bonds. ASOS Plc was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.