V.F. Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VFC)

Key Points

• Unusually high put activity: Traders acquired 22,360 put options on V.F., roughly a 76% increase versus the average of 12,700, signaling elevated bearish bets or hedging interest.
• Stock and results: VFC rose 7.3% to $21.60 on heavy volume after reporting quarterly EPS of $0.58 (vs. $0.43 expected) and $2.88B in revenue, with a 52-week range of $10.15–$21.92 and a market cap of about $8.45B.
• Analyst and ownership backdrop: The consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $18.47; insiders recently sold shares and institutional investors own about 86.8% of the stock.

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 22,360 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 76% compared to the average volume of 12,700 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group set a $20.00 target price on shares of V.F. in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $18.00 target price (down from $19.00) on shares of V.F. in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of V.F. from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of V.F. from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of V.F. in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.47.

V.F. Stock Up 7.3%

VFC traded up $1.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $21.60. 4,807,418 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,696,069. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $18.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.54. The company has a market cap of $8.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.30, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.65. V.F. has a fifty-two week low of $10.15 and a fifty-two week high of $21.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The textile maker reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. V.F. had a net margin of 2.33% and a return on equity of 19.08%. The business's revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that V.F. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. V.F.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other V.F. news, Director Juliana L. Chugg sold 6,678 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.30, for a total transaction of $142,241.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 40 shares of the company's stock, valued at $852. This trade represents a 99.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VFC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in V.F. by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the textile maker's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 705.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 3,747 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 3,282 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 50.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,465 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 2,490 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of V.F. by 1,635.2% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 13,170 shares of the textile maker's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 12,411 shares during the period. 86.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About V.F.

VF Corporation, commonly branded as VF, is a global apparel and footwear company that develops, markets and distributes a diverse portfolio of consumer brands. Its offerings span outdoor and action sports apparel, footwear and accessories under marquee names such as The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Dickies, JanSport and Smartwool. Through a “house of brands” strategy, VF leverages the unique heritage and design expertise of each label to serve distinct lifestyle and performance segments.

Founded in 1899 in Pennsylvania as the Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company, VF evolved through a series of acquisitions and strategic expansions to become a leading player in the global apparel industry.

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