Investors Buy Large Volume of General Motors Call Options (NYSE:GM)

Key Points

• Investors purchased 40,978 call options on GM Monday — about a 74% increase versus average daily call volume, indicating notable bullish speculative interest ahead of results.
• GM beat quarterly EPS ($2.51 vs. $2.26 expected), set FY2026 guidance of 9.75–10.50 EPS, authorized a $6.0 billion share repurchase (~8.1% of shares) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.18.
• Institutional investors own 92.67% of the stock, and analysts have lifted targets (many to the $100–105 range), giving GM a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target of $91.25.

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors purchased 40,978 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 74% compared to the average daily volume of 23,568 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of General Motors by 456.1% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,717 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 31,755 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of General Motors by 61.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 18,548 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $913,000 after acquiring an additional 7,058 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of General Motors by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 37,524 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $1,847,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of General Motors by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 25,366 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 7,951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. boosted its position in shares of General Motors by 69.4% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 66,547 shares of the auto manufacturer's stock valued at $3,275,000 after acquiring an additional 27,270 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.67% of the company's stock.

General Motors Price Performance

NYSE GM traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $77.92. The company had a trading volume of 8,311,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,391,642. General Motors has a 52 week low of $44.72 and a 52 week high of $87.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.35, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.34.

General Motors (NYSE:GM - Get Free Report) TSE: GMM.U last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The auto manufacturer reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.26 by $0.25. General Motors had a return on equity of 14.72% and a net margin of 1.46%.The business had revenue of $45.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.92 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. General Motors has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.750-10.500 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that General Motors will post 12.43 earnings per share for the current year.

General Motors declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 27th that authorizes the company to repurchase $6.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the auto manufacturer to buy up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

General Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from General Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. General Motors's dividend payout ratio is 23.92%.

Key Stories Impacting General Motors

Here are the key news stories impacting General Motors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy bullish options flow: investors bought ~40,978 call contracts Monday (about +74% vs. typical daily call volume), signaling speculative bullish positioning ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Beat history and analyst support — previews from outlets note GM’s strong surprise record and many analysts rate GM a buy, which supports upside if results meet or beat expectations. Will General Motors (GM) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus expectations: Wall Street is looking for roughly $3B in operating profit for Q1; several previews emphasize that much depends on margins and one-time items, so results could move the stock either way. Wall Street expects solid Q1 results for GM, as Ford and Stellantis try to gain traction
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling raises caution: multiple insiders have sold stock over the past year, a potential bearish signal that some market participants note ahead of the print. Possible Bearish Signals With General Motors Insiders Disposing Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Macroeconomic and policy headwinds: coverage flags tariffs, weaker consumer demand and supply-cost pressure as risks that could weigh on Q1 margins and delivery-related revenue. GM earnings preview: Tariffs, weaker consumer may weigh on Q1 results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors worry about higher gas prices: some coverage highlights investor concern that rising fuel costs could depress overall vehicle demand or shift mix in ways that hurt near-term results. GM Earnings Are Coming. Investors Are Worried About Gas Prices.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho raised their target price on General Motors from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up from $98.00) on shares of General Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on General Motors from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of General Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on General Motors from $102.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $91.25.

About General Motors

General Motors Company NYSE: GM is a global automotive manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, that designs, builds and sells cars, trucks, crossovers and electric vehicles, and provides related parts and services. Founded in 1908, GM has long been one of the world's largest automakers and has evolved into a multi-brand company whose primary marques include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick. Beyond vehicle manufacturing, GM's operations encompass vehicle financing, connected services and advanced mobility initiatives.

GM develops and markets a broad portfolio of products and technologies, including internal-combustion and battery-electric vehicles, vehicle components and on-board connectivity services.

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