HP Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:HPQ)

HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 47,622 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 55% compared to the typical volume of 30,733 put options.

HP Price Performance

NYSE HPQ traded down $1.17 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.13. 10,732,136 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,192,906. The company has a market capitalization of $27.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.12, a PEG ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.17. HP has a 52-week low of $17.56 and a 52-week high of $32.19. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $25.30 and its 200-day moving average is $22.04.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 27th. The computer maker reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $14.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.99 billion. HP had a net margin of 4.45% and a negative return on equity of 581.36%. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. HP has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.100 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.610-0.710 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that HP will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HP Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. HP’s payout ratio is 44.28%.

Insider Activity at HP

In related news, insider David P. Mcquarrie sold 21,048 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.98, for a total transaction of $631,019.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 39,580 shares in the company, valued at $1,186,608.40. This represents a 34.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 52,620 shares of company stock worth $1,478,622 over the last three months. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of HP

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HPQ. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of HP by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,470 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in HP by 0.6% during the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 69,579 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $1,702,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in HP by 10.3% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 5,020 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in HP by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 20,531 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in HP by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 80,784 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $1,772,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. 77.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HPQ. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on HP from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. TD Cowen raised their target price on HP from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on HP from $20.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on HP from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered HP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $23.50.

About HP

HP Inc is an American multinational information technology company that designs, manufactures and sells personal computing devices, printers and related supplies and services. Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial notebooks and desktops, workstations, displays and accessories, as well as an extensive line of printing hardware that includes home, office and production printers. HP also provides consumables such as ink and toner, managed print services, device deployment and lifecycle support, and software for device and print management.

Founded from the original Hewlett‑Packard Company, HP Inc became a separately traded public company in 2015 following a corporate split that created Hewlett Packard Enterprise to focus on enterprise hardware and services.