Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,626,815 shares, an increase of 28.9% from the February 26th total of 2,038,267 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,195,126 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Stock Performance

NYSE VLRS traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $7.25. 1,369,394 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 842,072. The stock has a market capitalization of $845.12 million, a P/E ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 1.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion has a 1 year low of $3.49 and a 1 year high of $10.80. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.90.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS) last released its earnings results on Sunday, February 15th. The transportation company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion had a negative net margin of 3.42% and a negative return on equity of 38.03%. The firm had revenue of $882.00 million for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts expect that Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion will post 1.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLRS. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $9.50 to $11.20 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $11.00 to $10.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research lowered Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.74.

Institutional Trading of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the third quarter valued at about $77,000. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 20.7% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 13,921 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 2,389 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the fourth quarter worth about $100,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $137,000. 53.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Company Profile

Controladora Vuela Compañia de Aviacion, SAB de CV (NYSE: VLRS) is a Mexico-based airline holding company whose primary business is the operation of low-cost scheduled air transportation services. Through its principal operating subsidiary, Volaris, the company provides passenger and cargo flights on domestic and international routes. Its business model emphasizes unbundled ancillary services and point-to-point operations designed to offer competitive fares across its network.

Volaris serves more than 120 routes linking major metropolitan areas and secondary cities in Mexico, the United States and Central America.