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

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 33,220 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 285% compared to the average daily volume of 8,623 put options.

Key V.F. News

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VFC. Weiss Ratings lowered V.F. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of V.F. in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on V.F. from $18.00 to $15.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of V.F. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of V.F. from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.58.

Insider Activity at V.F.

In other V.F. news, Director Richard Carucci bought 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the director directly owned 336,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,769,858.31. This represents a 9.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of V.F.

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

V.F. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VFC traded down $3.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.82. 17,356,861 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,164,836. 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. has a 12 month low of $11.10 and a 12 month high of $22.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $16.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.11.

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

V.F. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 10th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 10th. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio 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.