Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,730,000 shares, a growth of 42.2% from the February 28th total of 6,140,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 3,540,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VIPS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup downgraded Vipshop from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $18.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Vipshop from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Vipshop from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vipshop

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIPS. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vipshop by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 9,972 shares of the technology company's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Vipshop in the 4th quarter worth about $161,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vipshop by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,241 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $165,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new stake in Vipshop in the 4th quarter valued at about $165,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management HK LTD bought a new stake in shares of Vipshop during the third quarter valued at approximately $175,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 48.82% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Vipshop Stock Down 3.2 %

VIPS traded down $0.50 during trading on Thursday, reaching $14.85. The company had a trading volume of 5,805,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,828,997. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.63. The stock has a market cap of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.10, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.53. Vipshop has a 52 week low of $11.50 and a 52 week high of $17.94.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The technology company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Vipshop had a net margin of 7.50% and a return on equity of 20.89%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vipshop will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. Vipshop's payout ratio is 24.24%.

Vipshop Company Profile

Vipshop Holdings Limited operates online platforms in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Vip.com, Shan Shan Outlets, and Others segments. The company offers womenswear, menswear, sportswear and sporting goods, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.