Short Interest in Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Expands By 17.8%

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,040,000 shares, an increase of 17.8% from the August 31st total of 3,430,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 484,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.3 days. Approximately 19.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Vera Bradley Stock Up 1.8 %

VRA stock opened at $5.53 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $5.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.44. The firm has a market cap of $156.11 million, a P/E ratio of 39.50 and a beta of 1.89. Vera Bradley has a 12 month low of $4.38 and a 12 month high of $8.35.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 11th. The textile maker reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by ($0.18). Vera Bradley had a net margin of 0.19% and a return on equity of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $110.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $129.53 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Vera Bradley will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of Vera Bradley from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Fund 1 Investments LLC raised its holdings in Vera Bradley by 93.6% in the 4th quarter. Fund 1 Investments LLC now owns 1,762,471 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $13,571,000 after buying an additional 852,330 shares during the last quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley during the fourth quarter worth $4,281,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter worth $3,672,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in Vera Bradley by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,013,292 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $6,889,000 after purchasing an additional 151,969 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 37.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 500,578 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $3,134,000 after acquiring an additional 137,552 shares during the period. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by 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.

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