Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $3.74 and traded as high as $5.80. Vera Bradley shares last traded at $5.63, with a volume of 486,319 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on VRA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Vera Bradley Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $3.92 and its 200 day moving average is $3.76. The firm has a market cap of $167.84 million, a P/E ratio of -15.81 and a beta of 1.50.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 15th. The textile maker reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by $0.19. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 3.66% and a negative return on equity of 3.80%. The firm had revenue of $71.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.95 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.17) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post -0.22 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vera Bradley

In related news, Director Ivan Brockman bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.02 per share, with a total value of $50,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,750. This trade represents a 400.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 14.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,686,000. Saba Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Vera Bradley in the 1st quarter valued at $916,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 31.6% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,038,807 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,283,000 after buying an additional 249,161 shares during the last quarter. Luxor Capital Group LP purchased a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the 1st quarter valued at $610,000. Finally, Impala Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $486,000. Institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

Vera Bradley, Inc is a lifestyle company that designs and markets handbags, travel items, accessories, gifts and related products. Its namesake Vera Bradley brand is known for colorful, patterned products, including bags, wallets, apparel, home goods and other accessories.

The company also operates the Pura Vida brand, which offers jewelry, bracelets and lifestyle accessories. Pura Vida products are sold through the brand’s digital channels, retail locations and wholesale partners, while Vera Bradley products are distributed through the company’s website, branded stores, outlet stores and third-party retailers.

Vera Bradley was founded in 1982 by Barbara Baekgaard and Patricia Miller and is headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana.