Capital One Financial Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:COF)

Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 13,852 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 52% compared to the average volume of 9,098 call options.

Capital One Financial Stock Up 12.3 %

Shares of COF traded up $20.39 on Wednesday, reaching $186.44. The stock had a trading volume of 4,922,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,486,787. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.10. Capital One Financial has a 12-month low of $102.63 and a 12-month high of $198.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $4.51 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.88 billion. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 9.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.45 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Capital One Financial will post 13.17 EPS for the current year.

Capital One Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. Capital One Financial’s payout ratio is 22.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COF has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Capital One Financial from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $158.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Friday, September 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Capital One Financial from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Capital One Financial from $163.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Capital One Financial has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $156.35.

Insider Transactions at Capital One Financial

In other news, insider Frank G. LapradeIii sold 15,751 shares of Capital One Financial stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $2,520,160.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 44,711 shares in the company, valued at $7,153,760. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Capital One Financial by 5.3% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 146,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,976,000 after buying an additional 7,331 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Capital One Financial by 21.4% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 27,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,093,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares during the period. Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 5.6% in the first quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 68,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,200,000 after buying an additional 3,609 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Capital One Financial during the second quarter valued at approximately $511,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Capital One Financial by 3.2% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 122,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,927,000 after buying an additional 3,776 shares during the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which engages in the provision of various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.