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

Blue Owl Capital Inc. (NYSE:OWL) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 94,485 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 240% compared to the average volume of 27,775 put options.

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 Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of NYSE OWL traded down $0.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $11.59. 38,157,755 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,623,764. Blue Owl Capital has a 52 week low of $10.88 and a 52 week high of $25.89. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $15.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.08 billion, a PE ratio of 195.62, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Blue Owl Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Blue Owl Capital from $18.00 to $16.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Blue Owl Capital in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Blue Owl Capital in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.25 price objective on shares of Blue Owl Capital in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.78.

Insider Transactions at Blue Owl Capital

In other news, CEO Marc S. Lipschultz bought 69,663 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,049,124.78. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 79,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,740. This represents a 746.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Craig Packer acquired 110,227 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $15.06 per share, for a total transaction of $1,660,018.62. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 94,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,415,640. The trade was a -679.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 395,670 shares of company stock valued at $5,952,393. Corporate insiders own 27.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Blue Owl Capital

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Blue Owl Capital by 830.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 145,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after buying an additional 129,763 shares in the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA purchased a new stake in shares of Blue Owl Capital in the 4th quarter valued at $8,591,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Blue Owl Capital by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares during the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in Blue Owl Capital in the 4th quarter worth $58,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new stake in Blue Owl Capital in the fourth quarter worth $154,000. Institutional investors own 35.85% of the company’s stock.

Blue Owl Capital Company Profile

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.