Short Interest in Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Grows By 25.6%

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,077,100 shares, a growth of 25.6% from the November 30th total of 1,653,179 shares. Approximately 8.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,360,729 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,360,729 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 8.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vera Bradley

In other news, Director Andrew Meslow purchased 250,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.98 per share, with a total value of $495,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 550,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,089,000. This represents a 83.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 12.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VRA. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley during the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Vera Bradley by 15.2% in the third quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 1,846,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,711,000 after purchasing an additional 243,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in Vera Bradley during the third quarter worth approximately $121,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in Vera Bradley by 21.5% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 542,579 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 96,044 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV purchased a new position in Vera Bradley during the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. 59.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Stock Performance

Shares of VRA opened at $2.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 2.52. The company has a market capitalization of $67.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.69 and a beta of 1.78. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $2.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.23. Vera Bradley has a 1 year low of $1.39 and a 1 year high of $4.01.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.07. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 34.23% and a negative return on equity of 18.30%. The firm had revenue of $62.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $61.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.27) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vera Bradley will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

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.