Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on 1-800 FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS)

Key Points

• 1-800 FLOWERS.COM saw a dramatic increase in call options trading, with 18,022 call options purchased, a 1,867% rise compared to the average of 916.
• Institutional investors are increasing their stakes in the company, with notable investments from AlphaQuest LLC and Quarry LP, among others.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report revealed a loss of ($0.69) EPS, missing estimates, despite higher-than-expected revenue of $336.62 million.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 18,022 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,867% compared to the average volume of 916 call options.

Institutional Trading of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM by 197.8% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,833 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 6,531 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the second quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in the second quarter worth about $57,000. 38.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM Trading Down 1.9%

NASDAQ FLWS traded down $0.10 on Wednesday, hitting $5.05. 24,727,917 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 775,729. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.34 million, a P/E ratio of -1.60 and a beta of 1.30. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM has a 52-week low of $3.86 and a 52-week high of $9.24.

1-800 FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ:FLWS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 4th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.69) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.51) by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $336.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $330.58 million. 1-800 FLOWERS.COM had a negative return on equity of 13.87% and a negative net margin of 11.86%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.34) earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that 1-800 FLOWERS.COM will post -0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FLWS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research cut shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of 1-800 FLOWERS.COM in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $7.50.

About 1-800 FLOWERS.COM

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc provides gifts for various occasions in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Consumer Floral & Gifts, Gourmet Foods & Gift Baskets, and BloomNet. The company offers a range of products, including fresh-cut flowers, floral and fruit arrangements, plants, gifts, personalized products, dipped berries, popcorns, gourmet foods and gift baskets, cookies, chocolates, candies, wines, and gift-quality fruits.

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