CLEAR Secure (NYSE:YOU) Stock Sees Unusually High Call Option Buying

CLEAR Secure, Inc. (NYSE:YOU) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 3,048 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 247% compared to the average volume of 879 call options.

CLEAR Secure Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE YOU traded up $0.83 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $42.05. 667,066 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,671,451. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58 and a beta of 1.04. CLEAR Secure has a twelve month low of $29.43 and a twelve month high of $69.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $51.09.

CLEAR Secure (NYSE:YOU) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.09. CLEAR Secure had a net margin of 14.78% and a return on equity of 71.51%. The firm had revenue of $277.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $269.71 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.26 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that CLEAR Secure will post 1.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CLEAR Secure Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. CLEAR Secure’s dividend payout ratio is 40.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CLEAR Secure news, CAO Dennis Liu sold 2,104 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.47, for a total transaction of $93,564.88. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 15,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $705,738.90. This represents a 11.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Kyle McLaughlin sold 4,499 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.47, for a total transaction of $200,070.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 29,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,312,709.93. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,047 shares of company stock valued at $808,615. Insiders own 29.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CLEAR Secure

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of CLEAR Secure by 2,283.3% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 685 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in CLEAR Secure by 92.4% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in CLEAR Secure by 162.0% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in CLEAR Secure by 112.9% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new stake in shares of CLEAR Secure in the second quarter valued at approximately $128,000. 73.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

YOU has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson lowered their price target on CLEAR Secure from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded CLEAR Secure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered CLEAR Secure from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of CLEAR Secure in a report on Monday, August 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of CLEAR Secure from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.29.

About CLEAR Secure

Clear Secure, Inc, operating under the CLEAR brand, is an identity technology company that provides secure, biometric-enabled services for verifying individuals. Its platform uses information such as biometrics and government-issued identification to create a reusable identity profile, helping members move through participating locations more efficiently while supporting organizations with identity verification and access control.

The company’s consumer offering includes CLEAR Plus, a membership service that allows eligible travelers to use dedicated identity-verification lanes at participating airports.