Macy's Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:M)

Key Points

• Macy's experienced a significant increase in options trading, with 63,157 call options traded, up 255% from its average daily volume of 17,776.
• The company's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $0.41 EPS against a consensus estimate of $0.19, though revenue decreased by 2.5% year-over-year.
• Macy's announced a quarterly dividend of $0.1824 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 4.6%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 15th.

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE:M - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 63,157 call options on the company. Thisisanincreaseofapproximately255% compared to the typical daily volume of 17,776 call options.

Macy's Stock Performance

NYSE M traded up $0.07 on Friday, hitting $17.31. 18,321,722 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,616,165. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business's fifty day moving average is $12.96 and its 200 day moving average is $12.48. Macy's has a 52 week low of $9.76 and a 52 week high of $18.13. The company has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 1.78.

Macy's (NYSE:M - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.22. Macy's had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 15.39%. The firm had revenue of $4.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.53 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Macy's has set its Q3 2025 guidance at -0.200--0.150 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-2.050 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Macy's will post 2.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Macy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $0.1824 dividend. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Macy's's payout ratio is currently 41.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

M has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Macy's from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Macy's from $14.50 to $18.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Macy's from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Macy's from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Macy's from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $14.85.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Macy's

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Macy's by 173.9% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 85,939 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 54,558 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in shares of Macy's by 126.0% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 184,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,317,000 after purchasing an additional 102,885 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Macy's by 1,188.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 44,086 shares of the company's stock valued at $554,000 after purchasing an additional 40,665 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Macy's in the first quarter valued at $304,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Macy's by 33.8% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 3,579 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Macy's Company Profile

Macy's, Inc engages in the retail of apparel, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and other consumer goods. The firm's brands include Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury. It offers men's, women's, and children's apparel, women's accessories, intimate apparel, shoes, cosmetics, fragrances, as well as home and miscellaneous products.