Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on V.F. (NYSE:VFC)

V.F. Corporation (NYSE:VFC) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 20,957 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 49% compared to the typical volume of 14,060 put options.

V.F. News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting V.F. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: V.F. reported adjusted earnings of $0.70 per share, well above the $0.54 consensus estimate, while revenue of approximately $2.70 billion also exceeded expectations. Expanding margins and stronger results from The North Face, Timberland and Altra helped offset continued weakness at Vans. V.F. Corp beats FQ2 estimates as Vans weakness continues
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its fiscal 2027 outlook, while Vans showed signs of stabilization: direct-to-consumer sales grew for the first time in five years and wholesale trends are expected to improve in the second half. VF Corp. Finds Its Winning Formula With North Face and Timberland, but Vans Lags
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating and $23 price target, implying additional upside. BNP Paribas Exane also upgraded VFC from Underperform to Neutral, reducing a source of negative analyst pressure. V.F. Stock Rating Reaffirmed as Buy by BTIG Research
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $19 but maintained a Hold rating, signaling modestly improved expectations rather than a decisive bullish view. Deutsche Bank Adjusts V.F. Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Vans remains the key risk, with brand weakness continuing despite early improvement. Investors also purchased an unusually high volume of put options, suggesting some traders are positioning for downside or hedging against volatility.

V.F. Trading Up 6.6%

Shares of NYSE VFC opened at $18.36 on Friday. V.F. has a fifty-two week low of $12.45 and a fifty-two week high of $22.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.56.

V.F. (NYSE:VFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The textile maker reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.66 billion. V.F. had a net margin of 3.93% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that V.F. will post 1.12 EPS for the current year.

V.F. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 10th. V.F.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of V.F. from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $13.00 to $16.00 in a report on Thursday. Williams Trading set a $22.00 target price on shares of V.F. in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded V.F. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on V.F. from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of V.F. in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and fourteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other V.F. news, Director Richard Carucci bought 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.73 per share, for a total transaction of $294,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 356,215 shares in the company, valued at $5,247,046.95. This trade represents a 5.95% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On V.F.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VFC. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in V.F. in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,038,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in shares of V.F. by 298.1% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,782,904 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $29,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335,057 shares in the last quarter. Varenne Capital Partners purchased a new position in shares of V.F. during the 2nd quarter worth about $13,671,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in V.F. by 242.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 765,146 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $10,758,000 after purchasing an additional 541,627 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of V.F. by 8.1% during the third quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 683,925 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $9,616,000 after acquiring an additional 51,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.84% of the company’s stock.

About V.F.

V.F. Corporation, commonly known as VF Corporation, is a global apparel, footwear and accessories company. Its brand portfolio includes The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Dickies, JanSport, Smartwool, Icebreaker, Kipling, Eastpak and Napapijri. These brands serve outdoor, active, workwear, lifestyle and youth-oriented markets.

VF sells products through wholesale partners, company-operated retail stores, brand websites and other digital channels. Its offerings include jackets, outdoor and performance apparel, footwear, backpacks, luggage and workwear.