Super Micro Computer Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SMCI)

Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMCI - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 480,857 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 33% compared to the typical daily volume of 361,494 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Charles Liang sold 300,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $13,500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 66,903,640 shares in the company, valued at $3,010,663,800. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Liang Chiu-Chu Sara Liu sold 300,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $13,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 66,903,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,010,663,800. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 667,000 shares of company stock valued at $29,949,340 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 17.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Super Micro Computer

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Super Micro Computer in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Super Micro Computer by 233.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the period. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Super Micro Computer in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Super Micro Computer in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Super Micro Computer in the first quarter valued at $34,000. 84.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on SMCI shares. Rosenblatt Securities lowered their price target on Super Micro Computer from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Super Micro Computer in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $52.00 price objective (up from $37.00) on shares of Super Micro Computer in a report on Friday. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of Super Micro Computer in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Super Micro Computer from $40.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.47.

Super Micro Computer Price Performance

Shares of SMCI traded up $3.51 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $53.24. 49,251,957 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 68,415,637. The company has a market cap of $31.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.43. Super Micro Computer has a fifty-two week low of $17.25 and a fifty-two week high of $96.33. The company has a quick ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 6.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm's fifty day moving average is $43.26 and its 200 day moving average is $38.75.

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.01. Super Micro Computer had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 5.61%. The business had revenue of $4.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Super Micro Computer's revenue for the quarter was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Super Micro Computer will post 1.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Super Micro Computer Company Profile

Super Micro Computer, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures high performance server and storage solutions based on modular and open architecture in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. Its solutions range from complete server, storage systems, modular blade servers, blades, workstations, full racks, networking devices, server sub-systems, server management software, and security software.

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