V.F.’s (VFC) Underweight Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated their underweight rating on shares of V.F. (NYSE:VFC) in a report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a $18.00 price objective on the textile maker’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $19.00.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on VFC. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on V.F. in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on V.F. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on V.F. from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus raised shares of V.F. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating on shares of V.F. in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.16.

V.F. Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE VFC opened at $19.55 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.54, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.76. V.F. has a 1 year low of $9.41 and a 1 year high of $25.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The textile maker reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.15. V.F. had a return on equity of 19.08% and a net margin of 2.33%.The business had revenue of $2.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that V.F. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

V.F. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at V.F.

In related news, Director Juliana L. Chugg sold 6,678 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.30, for a total value of $142,241.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $852. This trade represents a 99.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On V.F.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 104.7% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 567,886 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,673,000 after purchasing an additional 290,444 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC increased its stake in shares of V.F. by 30.7% in the 2nd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 3,442,936 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $40,454,000 after acquiring an additional 808,474 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of V.F. by 115.2% during the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 113,951 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 60,998 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its position in shares of V.F. by 22.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 586,877 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $8,469,000 after acquiring an additional 105,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in V.F. by 21.3% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 573,649 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $6,740,000 after purchasing an additional 100,680 shares during the last quarter. 86.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About V.F.

VF Corporation, commonly branded as VF, is a global apparel and footwear company that develops, markets and distributes a diverse portfolio of consumer brands. Its offerings span outdoor and action sports apparel, footwear and accessories under marquee names such as The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Dickies, JanSport and Smartwool. Through a “house of brands” strategy, VF leverages the unique heritage and design expertise of each label to serve distinct lifestyle and performance segments.

Founded in 1899 in Pennsylvania as the Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company, VF evolved through a series of acquisitions and strategic expansions to become a leading player in the global apparel industry.