Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. HSBC reduced their price target on Vipshop from $22.90 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. TheStreet raised Vipshop from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Vipshop in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Vipshop from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vipshop currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $21.13.

Vipshop Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE VIPS opened at $15.60 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.28. Vipshop has a 52-week low of $13.80 and a 52-week high of $20.19. The company has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a PE ratio of 7.68 and a beta of 0.41.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The technology company reported $5.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $5.15. Vipshop had a return on equity of 23.19% and a net margin of 7.20%. The firm had revenue of $34.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vipshop will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Vipshop’s dividend payout ratio is 20.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in Vipshop in the first quarter valued at about $361,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Vipshop by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 835,050 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $13,820,000 after purchasing an additional 4,969 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in Vipshop by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 6,375,051 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $105,507,000 after purchasing an additional 52,842 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vipshop during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $189,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Vipshop by 0.9% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 99,737 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,651,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 48.82% of the company’s stock.

About Vipshop

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, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.