iQIYI Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:IQ)

iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ:IQ) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 16,714 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 123% compared to the average daily volume of 7,490 put options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iQIYI in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of iQIYI in the fourth quarter valued at $61,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iQIYI in the third quarter valued at $62,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of iQIYI by 321.9% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 17,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,000 after acquiring an additional 13,417 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iQIYI in the fourth quarter valued at $114,000. 52.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

iQIYI Price Performance

IQ stock opened at $5.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.80 billion, a PE ratio of 22.73 and a beta of 0.27. iQIYI has a 1 year low of $3.06 and a 1 year high of $6.47.

iQIYI (NASDAQ:IQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.08 billion. iQIYI had a return on equity of 13.56% and a net margin of 4.76%. Equities research analysts anticipate that iQIYI will post 0.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, OTR Global reaffirmed a “mixed” rating on shares of iQIYI in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.54.

About iQIYI

iQIYI, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides online entertainment video services in the People's Republic of China. It offers various products and services, including online video, online games, online literature, animations, and other products. The company operates a platform that provides a collection of internet video content, such as professionally produced content licensed from professional content providers and self-produced content.