Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on VF (NYSE:VFC)

VF Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 35,728 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 83% compared to the average daily volume of 19,569 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard Carucci purchased 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.70 per share, for a total transaction of $250,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 230,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,843,972.60. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of VF in the first quarter worth approximately $200,768,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in VF by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,822,885 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $159,609,000 after buying an additional 2,589,852 shares during the period. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in VF in the 1st quarter worth $30,527,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in VF by 328.0% during the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,623,875 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $21,922,000 after acquiring an additional 1,244,448 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in shares of VF by 1,365.2% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 727,148 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $9,816,000 after acquiring an additional 677,519 shares in the last quarter. 86.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

VF Stock Performance

NYSE VFC traded up $1.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $22.68. 14,871,159 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,334,142. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.84. VF has a 52 week low of $11.00 and a 52 week high of $23.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.64.

VF (NYSE:VFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The textile maker reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $2.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. VF had a positive return on equity of 11.75% and a negative net margin of 11.39%. VF’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that VF will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

VF Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. VF’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -11.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on VFC. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of VF from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of VF in a research report on Friday, September 27th. They set a “hold” rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on VF from $20.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $13.00 target price on shares of VF in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on VF from $12.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, VF presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.18.

About VF

V.F. Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, procurement, marketing, and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and children in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific. It operates through three segments: Outdoor, Active, and Work.