Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

VIPS has been the topic of a number of other reports. TheStreet upgraded shares of Vipshop from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Thursday, December 21st. Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Vipshop in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Vipshop from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, HSBC dropped their target price on Vipshop from $22.90 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vipshop has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $21.13.

Vipshop Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of VIPS opened at $15.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $17.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.28. Vipshop has a 1 year low of $13.80 and a 1 year high of $20.19. The stock has a market cap of $9.14 billion, a P/E 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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $5.15. The firm had revenue of $34.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.18 billion. Vipshop had a return on equity of 23.19% and a net margin of 7.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vipshop will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Vipshop Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.