Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Vipshop Put Options (NYSE:VIPS)

Vipshop Holdings Limited (NYSE:VIPS) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders purchased 6,624 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 379% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,384 put options.

Vipshop Stock Performance

Vipshop stock opened at $15.81 on Thursday. Vipshop has a one year low of $11.50 and a one year high of $20.19. The stock has a market cap of $8.12 billion, a PE ratio of 7.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $14.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.01.

Vipshop (NYSE:VIPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The technology company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.70 by ($0.05). Vipshop had a return on equity of 20.89% and a net margin of 7.50%. The firm had revenue of $4.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Vipshop will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vipshop Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 11th. Vipshop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Vipshop from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com raised Vipshop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Vipshop in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Vipshop from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vipshop has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.64.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hhlr Advisors LTD. raised its position in Vipshop by 6.2% during the third quarter. Hhlr Advisors LTD. now owns 15,720,322 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $247,281,000 after acquiring an additional 914,322 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vipshop by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,961,402 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $188,060,000 after purchasing an additional 79,254 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in Vipshop by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 11,107,555 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $149,619,000 after purchasing an additional 139,320 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Vipshop by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,063,150 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $108,608,000 after purchasing an additional 993,042 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Vipshop by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,759,150 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $104,516,000 after purchasing an additional 1,718,159 shares during the period. 48.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vipshop Company Profile

Vipshop Holdings Limited operates online platforms in the People's Republic of China. It operates in Vip.com, Shan Shan Outlets, and Others segments. The company offers womenswear, menswear, sportswear and sporting goods, shoes and bags, accessories, baby and children products, skincare and cosmetics, home goods and other lifestyle products, and supermarket products.