Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $2.15 and traded as high as $2.61. Vera Bradley shares last traded at $2.45, with a volume of 199,784 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VRA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Small Cap Consu upgraded Vera Bradley to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Vera Bradley currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $2.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $68.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.70 and a beta of 1.90.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.13. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 32.31% and a negative return on equity of 15.27%. The business had revenue of $70.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.52 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.13 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 12.9% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 67,748 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 7,747 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Vera Bradley during the 1st quarter valued at $110,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Vera Bradley by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 163,636 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 12,021 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 149.9% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 57,041 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 34,212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. 59.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

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.