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

HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 19,642 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 55% compared to the typical volume of 12,641 call options.

HP Stock Performance

HPQ stock traded down $1.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $22.39. 14,529,650 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,484,548. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50 day moving average of $30.98 and a 200-day moving average of $33.79. HP has a 52-week low of $21.96 and a 52-week high of $39.79.

HP (NYSE:HPQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The computer maker reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74. HP had a net margin of 5.18% and a negative return on equity of 253.39%. The firm had revenue of $13.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.35 billion. Research analysts anticipate that HP will post 3.56 earnings per share for the current year.

HP Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.2894 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.17%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. HP's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.37%.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HPQ. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HP from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of HP from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on HP from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on HP from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on HP from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $36.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anneliese Olson sold 21,545 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.49, for a total transaction of $613,817.05. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 169 shares in the company, valued at $4,814.81. This trade represents a 99.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stephanie Liebman sold 15,646 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.00, for a total value of $453,734.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. West Paces Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in HP by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 9,636 shares of the computer maker's stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association raised its position in HP by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 16,796 shares of the computer maker's stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in HP by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 11,467 shares of the computer maker's stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares during the period. Auxano Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of HP by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 8,650 shares of the computer maker's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in HP by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 12,648 shares of the computer maker's stock valued at $420,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.53% of the company's stock.

About HP

HP Inc provides products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. It operates through Personal Systems and Printing segments. The Personal Systems segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, thin clients, commercial tablets and mobility devices, retail point-of-sale systems, displays and other related accessories, software, support, and services for the commercial and consumer markets.