Avalon Global Asset Management LLC Buys New Position in Capital One Financial Corporation $COF

Key Points

• Avalon Global Asset Management disclosed a new position in Capital One Financial, buying 25,000 shares valued at about $6.06 million. The stake makes COF roughly 1.0% of Avalon’s portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with several other firms increasing their holdings and 89.84% of shares now held by institutions. Meanwhile, insiders have been selling shares in recent months, including executives Celia Karam and Matthew W. Cooper.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Capital One Financial, with 17 Buy ratings and five Holds, producing a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $258.75. The stock recently traded at $194.58 after the company reported earnings that missed expectations last quarter.

Avalon Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 25,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,059,000. Capital One Financial comprises 1.0% of Avalon Global Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Tompkins Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 977 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 1,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 504 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 228 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on COF. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Monday, March 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Capital One Financial from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price target on Capital One Financial from $226.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their price target on Capital One Financial from $283.00 to $270.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Capital One Financial from $256.00 to $250.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $258.75.

Insider Transactions at Capital One Financial

In other news, insider Celia Karam sold 1,749 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.58, for a total transaction of $336,822.42. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 61,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,858,883.82. This represents a 2.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, General Counsel Matthew W. Cooper sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.93, for a total value of $643,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 97,194 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,876,892.42. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 8,040 shares of company stock valued at $1,498,615 over the last ninety days. 0.78% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COF opened at $194.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Capital One Financial Corporation has a twelve month low of $174.24 and a twelve month high of $259.64. The stock's 50 day moving average is $189.38 and its 200-day moving average is $207.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.27, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.03.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $4.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $5.08 by ($0.66). Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 10.59% and a net margin of 4.29%.The firm had revenue of $15.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.06 earnings per share. Capital One Financial's revenue for the quarter was up 52.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 19.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Capital One Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 19th. Capital One Financial's dividend payout ratio is presently 112.28%.

About Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Corporation NYSE: COF is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The company's core businesses include credit card lending, consumer and commercial banking, and auto finance. Capital One issues a wide range of credit card products for consumers and small businesses, and it operates deposit and digital banking services aimed at retail customers and small to midsize enterprises.

Products and services include credit and charge cards, checking and savings accounts (including the online-focused Capital One 360 platform), auto loans, and commercial lending solutions.

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