Short Interest in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS) Increases By 100.4%

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 459,600 shares, a growth of 100.4% from the January 31st total of 229,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 581,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.8 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación Price Performance

VLRS traded up $0.14 on Friday, hitting $6.49. 597,827 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 597,096. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.29. The firm has a market cap of $756.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 2.45. Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación has a one year low of $5.15 and a one year high of $9.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación (NYSE:VLRS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The transportation company reported $0.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $835.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.48 million. Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 71.50%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación will post 1.21 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from $10.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com cut Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación from $16.50 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $12.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $13.14.

Institutional Trading of Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLRS. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $92,000. MQS Management LLC bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $108,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación by 157.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 84,252 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 51,580 shares during the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $320,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $130,000. Institutional investors own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

About Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación

Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiary, Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, SAP.I. de C.V., provides air transportation services for passengers, cargo, and mail in Mexico and internationally. The company operates approximately 590 daily flights on routes connecting 43 cities in Mexico, 22 cities in the United States, 4 cities in Central America, and 2 cities in South America.