Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Molson Coors Beverage Put Options (NYSE:TAP)

Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE:TAP) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders purchased 33,425 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 3,297% compared to the average daily volume of 984 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TAP shares. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on Molson Coors Beverage from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Exane BNP Paribas lowered Molson Coors Beverage from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Molson Coors Beverage from $51.00 to $48.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Molson Coors Beverage from $53.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Molson Coors Beverage has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David S. Coors bought 2,245 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $44.47 per share, for a total transaction of $99,835.15. Following the acquisition, the director owned 30,586 shares in the company, valued at $1,360,159.42. This represents a 7.92% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Andrew Thomas Molson purchased 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $46.79 per share, with a total value of $350,925.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 22,654 shares in the company, valued at $1,059,980.66. This trade represents a 49.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molson Coors Beverage

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TAP. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Molson Coors Beverage by 32.9% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 800 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC raised its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 19,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Molson Coors Beverage by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 15,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $754,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.46% of the company’s stock.

Molson Coors Beverage Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:TAP opened at $49.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a PE ratio of -4.62 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Molson Coors Beverage has a 52 week low of $42.94 and a 52 week high of $64.66.

Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.05). Molson Coors Beverage had a negative net margin of 15.89% and a positive return on equity of 8.78%. The firm had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. Molson Coors Beverage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.360-5.360 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Molson Coors Beverage will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

Molson Coors Beverage Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Molson Coors Beverage’s dividend payout ratio is -17.60%.

About Molson Coors Beverage

Molson Coors Beverage Company is a leading multinational brewing and beverage enterprise formed through the 2005 merger of Canada’s Molson and the United States’ Coors. The company develops, markets and distributes an array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, focusing primarily on beer and ready-to-drink products. Its portfolio spans flagship brands such as Coors Light, Molson Canadian and Miller Lite, alongside craft-style offerings like Blue Moon and global imports including Carling and Staropramen.

In addition to its core beer business, Molson Coors has expanded into adjacent categories to capture evolving consumer tastes.