Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS) Short Interest Update

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 459,600 shares, an increase of 100.4% from the January 31st total of 229,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 581,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLRS. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,550,000. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. purchased a new position in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación during the fourth quarter valued at $549,000. Man Group plc bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in the 4th quarter valued at $623,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación by 51.2% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 127,394 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $948,000 after purchasing an additional 43,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in the 4th quarter worth $161,000. 53.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLRS traded up $0.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $6.42. The stock had a trading volume of 985,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 626,566. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.70. Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación has a 12-month low of $5.15 and a 12-month high of $9.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $7.85 and a 200-day moving average of $7.32. The company has a market capitalization of $747.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 2.48.

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación (NYSE:VLRS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The transportation company reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.16). Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 71.50%. The business had revenue of $835.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.48 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación will post 1.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on VLRS shares. Itau BBA Securities initiated coverage on Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $12.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from $16.50 to $17.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $12.88.

About Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiary, Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAP.I. de C.V., provides air transportation services for passengers, cargo, and mail in Mexico and internationally. The company operates approximately 590 daily flights on routes connecting 43 cities in Mexico, 22 cities in the United States, 4 cities in Central America, and 2 cities in South America.