Blue Owl Capital Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:OWL)

Blue Owl Capital Inc. (NYSE:OWL) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 94,485 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 240% compared to the typical volume of 27,775 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Blue Owl Capital from $23.50 to $22.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Blue Owl Capital from $18.00 to $16.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Blue Owl Capital from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Blue Owl Capital in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Blue Owl Capital in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.78.

Key Headlines Impacting Blue Owl Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Blue Owl Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat expectations: Blue Owl reported quarterly EPS slightly above consensus (about $0.24–$0.27 vs. ~$0.23), showing modest earnings improvement year-over-year — a near-term positive for investor sentiment. Blue Owl Capital Inc. (OWL) Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Company emphasizes growth and record fundraising: Management highlighted record 2025 fundraising across institutional and private-wealth channels and continued global expansion in its Q4 press release — a longer‑term positive for fee-related earnings and AUM growth. Blue Owl Capital Inc. Fourth Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: New lending activity: Blue Owl provided a $335M loan to the Amazon‑anchored Wynwood Plaza — demonstrates continued origination activity and deal flow in commercial lending. Amazon-Leased Wynwood Plaza Lands $335M Refi From Blue Owl
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call‑option buying: Large spike in call option volume (roughly 60k contracts) indicates speculative or opportunistic bullish positioning by options traders — can amplify intraday upside if sentiment turns.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue slightly below consensus: Reported quarter revenue (~$701M) came in a touch under Street estimates (~$713M), tempering the EPS beat — this mixed print leaves investors parsing fee mix, realized gains and margins in accompanying slides and commentary. View Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Redemption concerns remain a headline risk: Coverage ahead of the print flagged investor redemption risk in some funds — persistent redemption anxiety can pressure NAVs, liquidity profiles and thus multiple compression. Blue Owl Capital earnings on deck amid redemption concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reputation/ESG headline: A fund sale of a warehouse that will become a DHS/ICE facility drew negative press — potential reputational risk that could concern some institutional or retail investors. Blue Owl Fund sells warehouse to DHS for ICE ‘mega’ jail for nearly $120 million
• Negative Sentiment: Market is reassessing valuation after a large one‑year share decline: Commentary noting a ~49% one‑year drop keeps downward pressure on the stock multiple as investors weigh growth vs. rate/earnings risks. Reassessing Blue Owl Capital (OWL) After A 49% One-Year Share Price Slide

Blue Owl Capital Trading Down 3.9%

Blue Owl Capital stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.59. 38,157,755 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,623,764. Blue Owl Capital has a one year low of $10.88 and a one year high of $25.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $15.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.69. The company has a market cap of $18.08 billion, a PE ratio of 195.62, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Alan Kirshenbaum acquired 33,670 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.87 per share, with a total value of $500,672.90. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 33,670 shares in the company, valued at $500,672.90. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Douglas I. Ostrover bought 139,327 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $15.06 per share, for a total transaction of $2,098,264.62. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 158,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,379,480. The trade was a 746.14% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 395,670 shares of company stock valued at $5,952,393. 27.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Blue Owl Capital

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of OWL. Roxbury Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Blue Owl Capital by 383.6% in the fourth quarter. Roxbury Financial LLC now owns 1,765 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Blue Owl Capital by 117.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 867 shares during the period. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Blue Owl Capital by 83.5% in the 4th quarter. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Blue Owl Capital in the third quarter worth $50,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Blue Owl Capital during the second quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 35.85% of the company’s stock.

About Blue Owl Capital

Blue Owl Capital is a global alternative asset manager that focuses on private credit, direct lending and equity-related strategies for institutional investors. Headquartered in New York, the firm develops and manages a range of private markets products designed to provide capital solutions to middle-market and larger corporate borrowers, as well as liquidity and partnership arrangements with private equity firms and other alternative managers.

Its core activities include direct lending and credit strategies that provide senior, unitranche and other structured loan products to companies across industries.