VF (NYSE:VFC) Hits New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Shares of VF Corporation (NYSE:VFC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $23.87 and last traded at $23.63, with a volume of 272873 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $23.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of VF from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. OTR Global raised shares of VF from a “mixed” rating to a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of VF from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of VF in a research note on Friday, September 27th. They set a “hold” rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.11.

VF Trading Up 0.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $21.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.46, a P/E/G ratio of 8.19 and a beta of 1.45.

VF (NYSE:VFC) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The textile maker reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. VF had a positive return on equity of 12.53% and a negative net margin of 6.68%. VF’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that VF Corporation will post 0.48 EPS for the current year.

VF Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. VF’s dividend payout ratio is currently -20.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of VF by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 73,513 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 13,556 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VF in the second quarter valued at $413,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of VF by 22.3% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 88,093 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 16,041 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of VF by 22.2% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 16,076 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 2,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in VF by 2.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,125,417 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $55,694,000 after buying an additional 113,128 shares during the period. 86.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

VF Company Profile

VF Corp. engages in the business of producing and marketing apparel, footwear, and accessories. It operates through the following segments: Outdoor, Active, Work, and Other. The Outdoor segment includes authentic outdoor-based lifestyle brands such as performance-based and outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment.