V.F. Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VFC)

V.F. Co. (NYSE:VFC) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 33,391 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 66% compared to the typical volume of 20,165 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wedbush dropped their price target on shares of V.F. from $15.50 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of V.F. from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of V.F. from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of V.F. from $16.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated a “neutral” rating and set a $14.00 target price (down from $18.00) on shares of V.F. in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.44.

V.F. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VFC opened at $12.34 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.93, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.49. V.F. has a 12 month low of $11.00 and a 12 month high of $21.17. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 22nd. The textile maker reported ($0.32) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.02 by ($0.34). The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.42 billion. V.F. had a positive return on equity of 12.18% and a negative net margin of 9.27%. V.F.’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. Analysts expect that V.F. will post 1.31 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. V.F.’s payout ratio is currently -14.40%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&G Plc acquired a new position in V.F. in the 1st quarter valued at about $200,768,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in V.F. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $76,059,000. Jackson Square Partners LLC purchased a new stake in V.F. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,646,000. M&G Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in V.F. by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. M&G Investment Management Ltd. now owns 12,413,169 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $235,850,000 after buying an additional 2,016,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of V.F. during the first quarter worth approximately $30,527,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

About V.F.

V.F. Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, procurement, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and related products for men, women, and children in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Outdoor, Active, and Work.