Insider Buying: Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) CEO Purchases 81,466 Shares of Stock

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) CEO Loren Robert D acquired 81,466 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1.17 per share, for a total transaction of $95,315.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $804,137.49. This represents a 13.45% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Xcel Brands Stock Up 3.6%

Xcel Brands stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1.15. 47,257 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 390,018. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Xcel Brands, Inc has a 1-year low of $0.74 and a 1-year high of $7.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1.47. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 million, a P/E ratio of -0.15 and a beta of 0.97.

Xcel Brands (NASDAQ:XELB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The textile maker reported ($2.02) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.93) by ($1.09). Xcel Brands had a negative net margin of 437.09% and a negative return on equity of 51.46%. The company had revenue of $1.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Xcel Brands, Inc will post -0.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

XELB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Xcel Brands in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Maxim Group initiated coverage on Xcel Brands in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $3.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $3.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xcel Brands

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Xcel Brands stock. Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ:XELB) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 49,841 shares of the textile maker’s stock, valued at approximately $88,000. Citadel Advisors LLC owned approximately 1.05% of Xcel Brands as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 18.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Xcel Brands

Xcel Brands, Inc (NASDAQ: XELB) is a lifestyle brand management company that acquires, develops and markets consumer product brands spanning fashion, entertainment and home categories. The company works with designers, celebrities and entertainment properties to create branded apparel, accessories, jewelry and home décor collections. Its portfolio includes licensed and proprietary brands such as Judith Ripka, Isaac Mizrahi and Simple Joys by Carter’s, among others.

The company’s business model centers on sourcing creative talent and intellectual property, then leveraging an in-house product development team to design collections that are manufactured by third-party partners.