Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC)

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 360,053 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 47,830 shares during the quarter. V.F. accounts for approximately 1.0% of Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.’s holdings in V.F. were worth $6,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of V.F. by 33.7% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 513,974 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $9,667,000 after purchasing an additional 129,548 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners increased its position in shares of V.F. by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 33,362 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $627,000 after acquiring an additional 5,351 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in shares of V.F. by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 197,598 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,715,000 after acquiring an additional 11,846 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,495 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in V.F. by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 59,928 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at V.F.

In other news, insider Bracken Darrell purchased 65,360 shares of V.F. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $15.38 per share, for a total transaction of $1,005,236.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 144,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,219,041.78. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other V.F. news, insider Bracken Darrell acquired 65,360 shares of V.F. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.38 per share, with a total value of $1,005,236.80. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 144,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,219,041.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Juliana L. Chugg acquired 11,301 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.55 per share, for a total transaction of $198,332.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,301 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,582.55. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

V.F. Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of VFC traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.46. The stock had a trading volume of 6,373,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,137,654. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.17. V.F. Co. has a 52 week low of $11.91 and a 52 week high of $23.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.22). V.F. had a positive return on equity of 19.03% and a negative net margin of 7.07%. The business had revenue of $2.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that V.F. Co. will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio is currently -18.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VFC. Wedbush cut their price objective on V.F. from $16.50 to $15.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Williams Trading reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of V.F. in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com upgraded V.F. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of V.F. in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of V.F. from $17.00 to $14.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.88.

About V.F.

V.F. Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, procurement, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and related products for men, women, and children in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Outdoor, Active, and Work.