Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Short Interest Up 22.8% in June

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 833,600 shares, a growth of 22.8% from the May 31st total of 679,100 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 326,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Vera Bradley from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 13th.

Vera Bradley Price Performance

Vera Bradley stock opened at $6.26 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $7.09 and its 200 day moving average is $7.18. The firm has a market cap of $184.61 million, a P/E ratio of 44.71 and a beta of 1.94. Vera Bradley has a one year low of $5.66 and a one year high of $8.35.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 12th. The textile maker reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $80.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.76 million. Vera Bradley had a return on equity of 5.17% and a net margin of 0.96%. Equities analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley will post 0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gate City Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,281,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in Vera Bradley by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 94,017 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $724,000 after buying an additional 20,167 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP lifted its stake in Vera Bradley by 379.0% in the third quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 60,689 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $401,000 after buying an additional 48,018 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Vera Bradley in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $517,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its stake in Vera Bradley by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 98,198 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 19,890 shares during the period. 59.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells women's handbags, luggage and travel items, fashion and home accessories, and gifts. It operates through three segments: Vera Bradley Direct, Vera Bradley Indirect, and Pura Vida. The company offers bag products, such as totes, crossbodies, satchels, clutches, backpacks, baby bags, and lunch bags; accessories, including ID holders, lanyards, wallets, wristlets, eyewear, scarves, hair accessories, and various technology accessories; bracelets, rings, and necklaces under Pura Vida brand name; and travel products consist of rolling luggage, cosmetics, and travel and packing accessories, as well as travel bags comprising duffel and weekend bags.