Traders Buy Large Volume of V.F. Put Options (NYSE:VFC)

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 100,155 put options on the company. This is an increase of 1,017% compared to the typical volume of 8,966 put options.

Insider Activity

In other V.F. news, Director Richard Carucci purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.17 per share, with a total value of $515,100.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 336,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,769,858.31. The trade was a 9.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On V.F.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Optimize Financial Inc boosted its position in shares of V.F. by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 40,379 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $730,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of V.F. by 27.9% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,694 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 588 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of V.F. by 59.7% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of V.F. by 282.9% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 3,052 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 2,255 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in V.F. by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,987 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 2,570 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

More V.F. News

Here are the key news stories impacting V.F. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: One article noted that V.F. Corporation has been outperforming the broader market on a relative basis, which may help support a more constructive long-term view of the stock. VF (VFC) exceeds market returns: Some facts to consider
• Neutral Sentiment: There was unusual options activity in VFC, with a sharp spike in put buying. That often signals hedging or bearish speculation, but it does not by itself confirm a fundamental change in the company’s outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Heavy put-option volume suggests some traders are positioning for downside, which can weigh on near-term investor sentiment.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised V.F. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, March 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $18.00 price target (down from $19.00) on shares of V.F. in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Williams Trading set a $19.00 price target on V.F. in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. UBS Group dropped their target price on V.F. from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on V.F. from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, V.F. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.58.

V.F. Stock Down 5.6%

V.F. stock opened at $16.71 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.45. The company has a market cap of $6.55 billion, a PE ratio of 26.10, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.57. V.F. has a fifty-two week low of $11.06 and a fifty-two week high of $22.27.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The textile maker reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. V.F. had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.13) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that V.F. will post 1.1 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 10th. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.25%.

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.