SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Stock Position in Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its position in shares of Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) by 52.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,350 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 15,992 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Vera Bradley were worth $110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley during the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd grew its stake in Vera Bradley by 43.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 14,897 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 4,494 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new stake in Vera Bradley during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 73.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,174 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 3,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Vera Bradley in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 59.88% of the company’s stock.

Vera Bradley Stock Performance

Shares of VRA stock opened at $6.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76 and a beta of 1.89. Vera Bradley, Inc. has a one year low of $4.60 and a one year high of $8.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.23.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 13th. The textile maker reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.04). Vera Bradley had a return on equity of 6.69% and a net margin of 1.66%. The firm had revenue of $133.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.06 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vera Bradley, Inc. will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vera Bradley from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 13th.

Vera Bradley Company Profile

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 consisting of rolling luggage, cosmetics, and travel and packing accessories, as well as travel bags comprising duffel and weekend bags.