V.F. Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:VFC)

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 20,552 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 125% compared to the typical volume of 9,117 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other V.F. news, Director Richard Carucci acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.17 per share, for a total transaction of $515,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 336,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,769,858.31. This represents a 9.80% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.54% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On V.F.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in 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. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of V.F. by 213.7% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 8,078 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 5,503 shares in the last quarter. Essential Partners LLC grew its position in shares of V.F. by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 54,167 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $920,000 after purchasing an additional 6,777 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of V.F. by 6.7% in the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 77,213 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 4,845 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of V.F. by 125.7% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,604 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 8,689 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of V.F. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Zacks Research cut shares of V.F. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on V.F. from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on V.F. in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Williams Trading set a $19.00 target price on V.F. in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.58.

V.F. Price Performance

V.F. stock opened at $17.22 on Thursday. V.F. has a 52 week low of $11.10 and a 52 week high of $22.27. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $16.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.20. The stock has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.13 billion. V.F. had a net margin of 2.65% and a return on equity of 21.05%. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.13) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that V.F. will post 1.1 earnings per share for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th were issued a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 10th. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.