Traders Buy High Volume of HP Put Options (NYSE:HPQ)

HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 26,656 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 62% compared to the typical daily volume of 16,443 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Argus upgraded HP to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of HP from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of HP from $29.00 to $25.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. HSBC set a $30.00 price target on HP and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut HP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $25.69.

Insider Activity at HP

In related news, insider Anneliese Olson sold 16,726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.83, for a total transaction of $415,306.58. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,196.27. This trade represents a 99.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Enrique Lores sold 41,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total value of $1,089,972.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 141,456 shares in the company, valued at $3,677,856. This trade represents a 22.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 76,802 shares of company stock valued at $2,011,412. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HP

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HPQ. Plato Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of HP by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 31,030 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $869,000 after buying an additional 363 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of HP by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,827 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC boosted its stake in HP by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in HP by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 12,712 shares of the computer maker’s stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auxano Advisors LLC increased its position in HP by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 9,261 shares of the computer maker’s stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. 77.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HP Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE HPQ opened at $22.72 on Tuesday. HP has a 1 year low of $21.21 and a 1 year high of $35.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $25.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.95. The company has a market cap of $20.86 billion, a PE ratio of 8.57, a PEG ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.22.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 25th. The computer maker reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $14.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.50 billion. HP had a net margin of 4.57% and a negative return on equity of 330.68%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.93 earnings per share. HP has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.730-0.810 EPS. Research analysts forecast that HP will post 3.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HP Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 11th. This is a boost from HP’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. HP’s dividend payout ratio is 45.28%.

HP Company Profile

HP Inc is an American multinational information technology company that designs, manufactures and sells personal computing devices, printers and related supplies and services. Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial notebooks and desktops, workstations, displays and accessories, as well as an extensive line of printing hardware that includes home, office and production printers. HP also provides consumables such as ink and toner, managed print services, device deployment and lifecycle support, and software for device and print management.

Founded from the original Hewlett‑Packard Company, HP Inc became a separately traded public company in 2015 following a corporate split that created Hewlett Packard Enterprise to focus on enterprise hardware and services.