Dell Technologies Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DELL)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Traders bought 52,342 call options on Dell—about 18% above typical call volume—while the stock surged 9.5% to $236.82 on heavy trading.
• Earnings beat and strong growth: Dell reported EPS of $3.89 vs. $3.53 expected and revenue of $33.38B (up 39.5% YoY), and set FY2027 EPS guidance at 12.90.
• Dividend increase but insider selling: Dell raised its quarterly dividend to $0.63 (annualized $2.52, 1.1% yield), even as insiders sold roughly 3.57M shares over the past 90 days.

Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 52,342 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 18% compared to the typical volume of 44,501 call options.

Dell Technologies Stock Up 9.5%

DELL traded up $20.50 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $236.82. 5,831,648 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,034,715. The company has a market cap of $152.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.99. Dell Technologies has a 12-month low of $92.88 and a 12-month high of $236.47. The company's 50-day moving average is $171.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.85.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The technology company reported $3.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.53 by $0.36. Dell Technologies had a negative return on equity of 236.90% and a net margin of 5.23%.The firm had revenue of $33.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. Dell Technologies has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.900-2.900 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 12.900-12.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Dell Technologies will post 11.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Dell Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 21st were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is an increase from Dell Technologies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, April 21st. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Dell Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DELL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their target price on shares of Dell Technologies from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Dell Technologies from $215.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised Dell Technologies from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $101.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Dell Technologies from $205.00 to $246.00 in a report on Monday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Dell Technologies

In other Dell Technologies news, Director Ellen Jamison Kullman sold 150,346 shares of Dell Technologies stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.13, for a total transaction of $21,819,714.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 65,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,529,526.06. The trade was a 69.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director V (Gp) L.L.C. Slta sold 510,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.83, for a total value of $74,883,300.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,571,688 shares of company stock valued at $576,654,105. 42.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dell Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DELL. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. raised its holdings in shares of Dell Technologies by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 18,460 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,030,000 after acquiring an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Dell Technologies during the first quarter worth about $776,000. Vectors Research Management LLC increased its position in shares of Dell Technologies by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC now owns 14,645 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Dell Technologies by 14.3% in the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 60,425 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $9,918,000 after purchasing an additional 7,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in Dell Technologies by 2.1% during the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 19,427 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,189,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.37% of the company's stock.

More Dell Technologies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Dell Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on DELL from $215 to $260 and maintained an "outperform" rating, which increases analyst backing and likely encouraged buying interest. Mizuho raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Dell is a named partner on TotalEnergies’ Pangea 5 AI supercomputer project (alongside NVIDIA), a large, multi‑million‑euro deployment that signals meaningful demand for Dell’s AI/data-center hardware and services. TotalEnergies Pens AI Supercomputer Deal With Nvidia & Dell
• Positive Sentiment: Dell expanded its regulated‑AI offering by integrating Trust3’s governance into Dell’s storage/data‑lake architecture, strengthening its position in highly regulated verticals (healthcare, finance, public sector) that are likely to spend on secure AI infrastructure. Dell Targets Regulated AI Growth With Trust3 Data Governance Integration
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile media coverage (Jim Cramer and others) is listing Dell among AI/data‑center beneficiaries, which can attract momentum and retail/institutional flows into the stock. Cramer's AI Winners List: From Nvidia To Dell
• Neutral Sentiment: Dell’s Board unanimously recommended redomesticating from Delaware to Texas and will put the move to a shareholder vote in June; the change is strategic but its financial/governance impact is uncertain in the near term. Dell Technologies Board Unanimously Recommends Redomestication to Texas
• Negative Sentiment: Dell granted COO Clarke performance‑linked stock options worth roughly $132M, a large compensation package that could raise shareholder concerns about dilution and executive pay. Dell Offers COO Clarke $132 Mn in Performance‑Linked Stock Options
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of increased insider selling in April create mixed signals (insiders selling while analysts/institutions buy), which can pressure sentiment for some investors. Leading Insider Sales: April Activity Ramps

Dell Technologies Company Profile

Dell Technologies Inc is a multinational technology company that designs, manufactures and sells a broad range of information technology products, solutions and services. Its offerings span client computing devices (consumer and commercial laptops and desktops), enterprise infrastructure (servers, storage systems and networking equipment), software and cloud infrastructure, and a variety of professional services such as IT consulting, deployment, managed services and financing solutions. The company serves organizations of all sizes as well as individual consumers, with products and services aimed at enabling digital transformation and modern IT environments.

Founded by Michael Dell in 1984, the company grew from a direct-to-consumer PC business into a diversified IT provider through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

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