Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $2.80 and traded as high as $4.39. Vera Bradley shares last traded at $4.13, with a volume of 369,505 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on VRA shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Vera Bradley from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vera Bradley from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Vera Bradley Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.40 and a beta of 1.70.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The textile maker reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.01 by $0.08. Vera Bradley had a negative net margin of 17.74% and a negative return on equity of 12.00%. The business had revenue of $84.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.73 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post -0.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Vera Bradley by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 1,846,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,711,000 after purchasing an additional 243,900 shares during the last quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC lifted its position in Vera Bradley by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 875,893 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 110,485 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in Vera Bradley by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 542,579 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 96,044 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Vera Bradley by 133.2% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 467,127 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 266,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Impala Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Vera Bradley in the 4th quarter valued at about $976,000. 59.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vera Bradley

Vera Bradley, Inc (NASDAQ: VRA) is a lifestyle and accessories designer specializing in colorful, patterned handbags, luggage, travel accessories and coordinated home décor. Founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the company first gained recognition for its quilted cotton bags sold at craft shows before expanding into an established fashion brand. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vera Bradley has built a reputation for distinctive prints and functional design aimed primarily at women’s casual and travel needs.

The company’s product portfolio includes day bags, weekenders, backpacks, wallets, and organizational cases, as well as an expanding range of travel gear such as rolling luggage and travel pouches.