Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on 1-800 FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS)

Key Points

• Traders bought an unusually large number of call options—6,263 calls, about a 384% increase versus the typical daily volume—while the stock traded heavily at $3.79 on volume of 2,084,590 shares (vs. average 655,911).
• Several institutional investors increased or established stakes (including Nantahala Capital and a large position boost from Goldman Sachs), leaving institutions owning about 38.43% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but improving: consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $3.75 and Noble Financial upgraded to Outperform; the company beat last quarter's EPS estimate ($1.20 vs. $0.86) yet still shows negative margins and a forecasted full‑year EPS of -1.13.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 6,263 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 384% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,294 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On 1-800 FLOWERS.COM

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nantahala Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the second quarter worth about $9,840,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 337.4% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,209,640 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 933,063 shares in the last quarter. Newtyn Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 56.3% in the third quarter. Newtyn Management LLC now owns 2,516,466 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $11,576,000 after acquiring an additional 906,911 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,775,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 72.1% in the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,021,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,013,000 after acquiring an additional 427,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 38.43% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Wall Street Zen raised 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Noble Financial raised 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $3.75 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, 1-800 FLOWERS.COM has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $3.75.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Price Performance

NASDAQ:FLWS traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $3.79. The stock had a trading volume of 2,084,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 655,911. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.75 million, a PE ratio of -1.13 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $3.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.79. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM has a 52 week low of $2.88 and a 52 week high of $8.44.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $702.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $700.58 million. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM had a negative return on equity of 23.80% and a negative net margin of 13.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that 1-800 FLOWERS.COM will post -1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Company Profile

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc, founded in 1976 by Jim McCann and headquartered in Jericho, New York, is a leading floral and gift retailer in North America. Operating primarily through its online platform and call center, the company offers a wide selection of fresh-cut flowers, gourmet foods, gift baskets, plants and home décor items. With a network of affiliated florists and its own floral production farms, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM facilitates same-day delivery services across the United States, reaching more than 90% of U.S.

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