Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) Short Interest Update

Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,730,000 shares, an increase of 42.2% from the February 28th total of 6,140,000 shares. Approximately 2.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 3,540,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Vipshop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VIPS traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $15.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,140,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,837,172. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $15.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.61. Vipshop has a 1-year low of $11.50 and a 1-year high of $17.94. The firm has a market cap of $8.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.30.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($0.05). Vipshop had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 7.50%. The business had revenue of $4.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Vipshop will post 1.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 2.9%. Vipshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.24%.

Institutional Trading of Vipshop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Vipshop in the fourth quarter worth $64,115,000. Polaris Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vipshop during the 4th quarter worth about $63,095,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Vipshop by 179.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,984,082 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $62,670,000 after acquiring an additional 2,558,896 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Vipshop by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,759,150 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $104,516,000 after purchasing an additional 1,718,159 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Vipshop by 91.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,591,643 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,909,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236,106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 48.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VIPS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Vipshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barclays increased their price target on Vipshop from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $15.10.

Vipshop Company Profile

Vipshop Holdings Limited operates online platforms in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Vip.com, Shan Shan Outlets, and Others segments. The company offers womenswear, menswear, sportswear and sporting goods, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.