Snap Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SNAP)
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailySnap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 188,211 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 87% compared to the average volume of 100,596 call options.
Snap Stock Down 11.0%
NYSE:SNAP traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $4.00. The company had a trading volume of 104,244,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,995,144. The company has a current ratio of 3.56, a quick ratio of 3.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $5.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.10. Snap has a 52 week low of $3.90 and a 52 week high of $10.41.
Snap (NYSE:SNAP – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.12). Snap had a negative return on equity of 20.72% and a negative net margin of 7.76%.The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Snap will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Snap in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on shares of Snap from $9.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Snap from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Loop Capital set a $8.00 target price on Snap in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Snap from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $8.17.
View Our Latest Analysis on Snap
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Snap news, CTO Robert C. Murphy sold 1,000,000 shares of Snap stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.36, for a total transaction of $5,360,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 49,313,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $264,321,834. The trade was a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Derek Andersen sold 92,956 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.59, for a total value of $426,668.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 3,799,661 shares in the company, valued at $17,440,443.99. This trade represents a 2.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 2,570,641 shares of company stock worth $13,436,343 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 22.68% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Snap
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in shares of Snap by 573.6% in the third quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 967,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,460,000 after acquiring an additional 823,900 shares during the period. Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd bought a new stake in Snap during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $10,256,000. DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in Snap by 433.6% in the 3rd quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 1,042,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,041,000 after purchasing an additional 847,447 shares in the last quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. boosted its stake in Snap by 94.1% in the 2nd quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 2,107,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,677 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in Snap by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 749,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,780,000 after purchasing an additional 264,156 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 47.52% of the company’s stock.
About Snap
Snap Inc is a camera and social media company best known for developing and operating Snapchat, a multimedia messaging application that allows users to send photos, videos and messages that disappear after being viewed. In addition to its core messaging service, Snap offers a suite of augmented reality (AR) tools, including custom Lenses and Filters, that enable users and third-party developers to create interactive and immersive experiences. The company also provides advertising solutions that allow brands to engage audiences through Snap Ads, Sponsored Lenses and Discover content on the platform.
Founded in 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, Snap has continually focused on innovation in camera technology and AR.