Short Interest in Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) Drops By 13.5%

Vera Bradley, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRA) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,500,000 shares, a drop of 13.5% from the December 31st total of 2,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 301,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.3 days. Currently, 12.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Vera Bradley Trading Down 5.1 %

VRA stock traded down $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 150,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 167,806. The company’s fifty day moving average is $4.23 and its 200-day moving average is $5.11. Vera Bradley has a 1 year low of $3.27 and a 1 year high of $8.32.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The textile maker reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.33). Vera Bradley had a negative return on equity of 2.74% and a negative net margin of 4.21%. On average, analysts predict that Vera Bradley will post -0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Vera Bradley by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,592,165 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $8,693,000 after acquiring an additional 249,630 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Vera Bradley by 4.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,474,763 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $9,232,000 after purchasing an additional 64,624 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Vera Bradley during the fourth quarter valued at $2,792,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 37.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 500,578 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $3,134,000 after buying an additional 137,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Potrero Capital Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vera Bradley in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,621,000. 59.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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