Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

15 Mar 2026, 07:42 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA – Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Zacks Research upgraded Vera Bradley from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

View Our Latest Report on VRA

Vera Bradley Stock Up 3.0%

VRA opened at $3.48 on Friday. Vera Bradley has a one year low of $1.39 and a one year high of $3.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 2.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.27 million, a P/E ratio of -2.02 and a beta of 1.76. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.43.

Vera Bradley (NASDAQ:VRA – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The textile maker reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $84.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.73 million. Vera Bradley had a negative return on equity of 11.85% and a negative net margin of 17.74%. Analysts anticipate that Vera Bradley will post -0.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vera Bradley

In other Vera Bradley news, Director Andrew Meslow bought 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1.93 per share, for a total transaction of $96,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 600,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,158,000. This represents a 9.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 12.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Vera Bradley

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Impala Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Bradley during the 4th quarter worth approximately $976,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 133.2% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 467,127 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 266,785 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vera Bradley by 15.2% in the third quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 1,846,432 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $3,711,000 after purchasing an additional 243,900 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vera Bradley by 161.6% in the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 294,195 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 181,750 shares during the period. Finally, Peapod Lane Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Vera Bradley by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC now owns 875,893 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $2,120,000 after purchasing an additional 110,485 shares during the last quarter. 59.88% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Vera Bradley

Here are the key news stories impacting Vera Bradley this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat consensus on both EPS and revenue and management says the business returned to profitability for the quarter — reported EPS $0.09 vs. $0.01 expected; revenue $84.9M vs. $79.7M expected. This is the headline driver lifting the stock as it validates early progress in the turnaround. Vera Bradley Q4 results (MarketBeat)
Positive Sentiment: Management changes: Ian Bickley named Chairman & CEO and Martin Layding named Chief Operating & Financial Officer — leadership appointments intended to accelerate the turnaround and give investors confidence in execution. Press release (GlobeNewswire)
Positive Sentiment: FY2027 revenue guidance set at $255M–$270M and management says profitability will return as the transformation accelerates — guidance is roughly in line with consensus and frames a path to improved margins. That directional guidance supports the upbeat market reaction. FY27 guidance (Seeking Alpha)
Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call commentary and analyst summaries emphasize an “early turnaround” — useful for sentiment but execution risk remains until multiple quarters of consistent improvement are delivered. Earnings call highlights (TipRanks)
Negative Sentiment: Company-level profitability metrics remain concerning: fiscal-year net margin and ROE are negative, consensus still expects a negative full-year EPS, and the stock carries a negative trailing P/E — meaning the turnaround must continue to convince investors to re-rate the shares. VRA stock profile (MarketBeat)

About Vera Bradley

(Get Free Report)

Vera Bradley, Inc (NASDAQ: VRA) is a lifestyle and accessories designer specializing in colorful, patterned handbags, luggage, travel accessories and coordinated home décor. Founded in 1982 by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller, the company first gained recognition for its quilted cotton bags sold at craft shows before expanding into an established fashion brand. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Vera Bradley has built a reputation for distinctive prints and functional design aimed primarily at women’s casual and travel needs.