Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,170,000 shares, an increase of 8.9% from the October 15th total of 10,260,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COF has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup began coverage on Capital One Financial in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Capital One Financial from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Capital One Financial from $163.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Capital One Financial from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.35.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Mark Daniel Mouadeb sold 1,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.37, for a total value of $323,765.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 19,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,211,029.12. This represents a 9.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Michael Zamsky sold 10,541 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.26, for a total transaction of $2,005,530.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,465.32. The trade was a 28.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 29,007 shares of company stock worth $4,982,647. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Capital One Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COF. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capital One Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in Capital One Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capital One Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Capital One Financial in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.84% of the company’s stock.

Capital One Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:COF traded down $2.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $182.86. The stock had a trading volume of 2,501,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,574,989. Capital One Financial has a 52 week low of $105.39 and a 52 week high of $198.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $157.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.39.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.81. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 8.80%. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Capital One Financial will post 13.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Capital One Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. Capital One Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.66%.

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.