VF (NYSE:VFC) Trading Up 6.2% – Should You Buy?

Shares of VF Corporation (NYSE:VFC) were up 6.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $20.07 and last traded at $19.96. Approximately 1,090,141 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 8,151,347 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VFC shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on VF from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of VF in a report on Monday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of VF from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $15.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of VF from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of VF from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.19.

VF Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of -11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 7.16 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.61.

VF (NYSE:VFC) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The textile maker reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.19. VF had a negative net margin of 6.68% and a positive return on equity of 12.53%. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that VF Corporation will post 0.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

VF Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. VF’s dividend payout ratio is presently -20.81%.

Institutional Trading of VF

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VFC. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC boosted its position in VF by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 3,663,341 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $73,084,000 after buying an additional 65,919 shares during the period. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of VF during the third quarter valued at about $640,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of VF by 5.3% during the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 24,108 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $481,000 after purchasing an additional 1,217 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its stake in shares of VF by 18.9% in the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 240,100 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $4,790,000 after purchasing an additional 38,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in VF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

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.