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

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 33,220 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 285% compared to the typical volume of 8,623 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VFC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners raised V.F. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of V.F. from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Zacks Research cut shares of V.F. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating on shares of V.F. in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of V.F. in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.58.

Insider Transactions at V.F.

In related news, Director Richard Carucci purchased 30,000 shares of V.F. stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.17 per share, for a total transaction of $515,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 336,043 shares in the company, valued at $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 the SEC website. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On V.F.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in V.F. by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 659,773 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $11,930,000 after buying an additional 81,006 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in V.F. by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 647,496 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $11,707,000 after buying an additional 60,619 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in V.F. by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 540,861 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $9,779,000 after acquiring an additional 4,249 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in V.F. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,209,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in shares of V.F. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 116,200 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,938,000 after acquiring an additional 4,200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

V.F. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: V.F. appointed Abhishek Dalmia as executive vice president and chief financial officer. The company also indicated that its fiscal-year outlook is improving, which may support efforts to stabilize operations and reduce investor concerns. VF Names New CFO as Q1 Outlook Improves
• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company retained a Buy rating, although it lowered its price target to $21 from $25. The revised target still suggests substantial potential upside from recent trading levels, signaling that the analyst expects the turnaround to continue. Needham Lowers V.F. Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue of $1.67 billion exceeded the $1.64 billion consensus estimate, offering some evidence that demand was better than expected despite broader weakness.
• Negative Sentiment: V.F. reported a fiscal first-quarter loss of $0.27 per share, worse than the expected loss of $0.22 and the $0.24 loss recorded a year earlier. Revenue also fell 5.2% year over year, highlighting continued pressure on the apparel business. V.F. Reports Q1 Loss, Misses Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity accompanied the decline, with investors purchasing approximately 33,220 puts—about 285% above average volume—indicating elevated hedging or bearish speculation.

V.F. Trading Down 18.8%

Shares of VFC stock traded down $3.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $14.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 17,356,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,164,836. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. V.F. has a one year low of $11.10 and a one year high of $22.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.11.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The textile maker reported ($0.27) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by ($0.05). V.F. had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.24) EPS. V.F.’s revenue was down 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that V.F. will post 1.09 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 10th. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.25%.

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.