Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on VIPS. Benchmark restated a buy rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Vipshop in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Vipshop from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. TheStreet raised shares of Vipshop from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Finally, HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Vipshop from $22.90 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $21.13.

Vipshop Price Performance

VIPS opened at $15.16 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.47 and a beta of 0.41. Vipshop has a 52-week low of $13.80 and a 52-week high of $20.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.27.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The technology company reported $5.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $5.15. Vipshop had a net margin of 7.20% and a return on equity of 23.19%. The firm had revenue of $34.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. Vipshop’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Vipshop will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Vipshop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Vipshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.20%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Natixis purchased a new position in shares of Vipshop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in Vipshop by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,963 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Vipshop in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Castleview Partners LLC purchased a new position in Vipshop in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Vipshop in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 48.82% of the company’s stock.

About Vipshop

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, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.