Jefferies Financial Group Initiates Coverage on VF (NYSE:VFC)

Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of VF (NYSE:VFC) in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price target on the textile maker’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 2.20% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VFC. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of VF from $12.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of VF from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of VF from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of VF from $9.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of VF to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, VF has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.41.

VF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VFC opened at $19.57 on Friday. VF has a 52 week low of $11.00 and a 52 week high of $20.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.83, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $14.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84.

VF (NYSE:VFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The textile maker reported ($0.33) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.37) by $0.04. VF had a negative net margin of 11.39% and a positive return on equity of 11.75%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.15) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that VF will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other VF news, Director Richard Carucci acquired 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.70 per share, with a total value of $250,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 230,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,843,972.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of VF

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of VF in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VF in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VF in the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Bank & Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of VF in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of VF by 6,981.1% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,620 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. 86.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About VF

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