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

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 59,340 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 327% compared to the average daily volume of 13,908 put options.

V.F. Stock Performance

Shares of VFC traded up $0.17 on Monday, reaching $19.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,968,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,172,827. V.F. has a 12-month low of $9.41 and a 12-month high of $29.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.62, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.50.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The textile maker reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.10. V.F. had a return on equity of 20.34% and a net margin of 0.95%.The business had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that V.F. will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

V.F. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 10th were paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 163.64%.

Institutional Trading of V.F.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares in the last quarter. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in V.F. in the second quarter worth $48,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in V.F. by 705.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of V.F. by 94.8% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,975 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new stake in V.F. during the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,000. 86.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on VFC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on V.F. from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of V.F. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of V.F. from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of V.F. in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KGI Securities set a $14.50 price objective on shares of V.F. and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, V.F. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.84.

V.F. Company Profile

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.