Insider Selling: Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) General Counsel Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Capital One General Counsel Matthew Cooper sold 2,000 shares at an average of $250 (≈$500,000), reducing his stake to 92,486 shares, and joins other recent insider sales including a ~13,450‑share (≈30%) reduction by Ravi Raghu—transactions that may weigh on sentiment.
• Analyst optimism: Multiple brokerages have raised price targets and issued "Buy"/"Outperform" ratings (consensus target ~$276.25), with firms like Keefe, Baird, Wolfe and Goldman Sachs increasing expectations for COF's upside.
• Stock and dividend snapshot: COF traded around $255.77 (up ~1%), market cap ~$162.6B, P/E ~108, and recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.80 (annualized $3.20, yield ~1.3%) despite a high payout ratio (~135%).

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) General Counsel Matthew Cooper sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 92,486 shares in the company, valued at $23,121,500. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Capital One Financial Trading Up 1.0%

COF traded up $2.52 during trading on Thursday, hitting $255.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,839,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,863,482. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 107.92, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.13. Capital One Financial Corporation has a twelve month low of $143.22 and a twelve month high of $259.64. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $229.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $5.95 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $15.46 billion during the quarter. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 2.24% and a return on equity of 10.94%. Analysts anticipate that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 15.65 EPS for the current year.

Capital One Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This is an increase from Capital One Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Capital One Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 135.02%.

Key Headlines Impacting Capital One Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Capital One Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raising targets and reiterated buys — TD Cowen boosted its price target to $290 and several firms (Citi, Keefe, Baird, Barclays, Wolfe) have issued positive notes recently, lifting expectations for earnings and valuation. TD Cowen price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary — Jim Cramer publicly recommended buying the stock, which can prompt short-term retail inflows and lift sentiment. Jim Cramer: It’s Not Too Late to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Firm research and positive reports — Robert W. Baird and others published favorable reports highlighting Capital One's growth and strategic position (including potential benefits from any Discover-related moves), supporting upside case. Baird positive report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity surge — elevated options volume shows increased trading interest and positioning, which can amplify moves but is ambiguous on direction (both speculative calls and hedges reported). Options activity analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Product/brand coverage and consumer pieces — articles comparing Capital One card products and noting experiential marketing (e.g., branded cafes) are positive for brand, but are longer‑term, modest drivers for near-term stock moves. Card product comparison
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/sector comparisons — analyst pieces weighing COF vs. AXP highlight tradeoffs (Discover deal, loan demand, valuation); useful for investors but not an immediate catalyst. COF vs AXP analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — several insiders have sold shares recently (including Matthew W. Cooper selling 2,000 shares at ~$250; Celia Karam and Lia Dean also disclosed sales). Multiple filings can pressure sentiment even if sales are for diversification or taxes. Matthew W. Cooper Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider reduction — a significant sale by an insider (Ravi Raghu sold ~13,450 shares, roughly a 30% reduction) is the most notable disposal and may raise near-term conviction concerns among some investors. Ravi Raghu Form 4

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on COF. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Capital One Financial from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Capital One Financial from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research began coverage on Capital One Financial in a report on Monday, December 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Capital One Financial in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $271.00 to $294.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Capital One Financial currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $276.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Capital One Financial

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Capital One Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $254,000. Plancorp LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $272,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Capital One Financial by 53.9% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 88,505 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,830,000 after buying an additional 30,991 shares in the last quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas grew its position in shares of Capital One Financial by 1,490.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 43,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,252,000 after buying an additional 40,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Capital One Financial during the third quarter valued at $647,000. Institutional investors own 89.84% of the company's stock.

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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