Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Stock Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $2.29 and traded as high as $2.40. Vera Bradley shares last traded at $2.33, with a volume of 343,195 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Vera Bradley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Vera Bradley from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, October 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Vera Bradley Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.09 million, a P/E ratio of -0.69 and a beta of 1.78. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $2.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.29.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.07. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 34.23% and a negative return on equity of 18.30%. The business had revenue of $62.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $61.69 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.27) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vera Bradley

In other news, Director Andrew Meslow purchased 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.98 per share, for a total transaction of $495,000.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 550,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,089,000. This represents a 83.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 12.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 15.2% during the third quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 1,846,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,711,000 after purchasing an additional 243,900 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the 2nd quarter worth about $363,000. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Vera Bradley by 224.4% during the second quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 185,035 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 127,994 shares during the period. Peapod Lane Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vera Bradley by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 875,893 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 110,485 shares during the period. Finally, ING Groep NV bought a new position in shares of Vera Bradley during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc (NASDAQ: VRA) is a lifestyle and accessories designer specializing in colorful, patterned handbags, luggage, travel accessories and coordinated home décor. Founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the company first gained recognition for its quilted cotton bags sold at craft shows before expanding into an established fashion brand. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vera Bradley has built a reputation for distinctive prints and functional design aimed primarily at women’s casual and travel needs.

The company’s product portfolio includes day bags, weekenders, backpacks, wallets, and organizational cases, as well as an expanding range of travel gear such as rolling luggage and travel pouches.