Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on NIO (NYSE:NIO)

NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 202,330 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 54% compared to the typical volume of 131,593 call options.

NIO Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NIO opened at $5.68 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $4.84 and its 200 day moving average is $5.79. The stock has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.91 and a beta of 1.11. NIO has a 1-year low of $3.02 and a 1-year high of $8.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36.

NIO (NYSE:NIO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.11. The business had revenue of $4.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.77 billion. NIO had a negative net margin of 31.17% and a negative return on equity of 1,085.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 75.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($3.17) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that NIO will post -1.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NIO shares. Macquarie Infrastructure upgraded NIO from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $6.10 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Citigroup cut their price objective on NIO from $8.60 to $6.90 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. UBS Group cut shares of NIO from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of NIO from $3.00 to $4.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of NIO in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, NIO currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $6.83.

More NIO News

Here are the key news stories impacting NIO this week:

• Positive Sentiment: First quarterly net profit, revenue beat and operating profit — NIO reported Q4 net profit (RMB282.7M / ≈$40M), operating profit and quarterly revenue of RMB34,650.2M (~$4.95B), beating expectations and marking a major turnaround after years of losses. GlobeNewswire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Record deliveries and stronger vehicle margins — Deliveries were 124,807 units in Q4 (+~72% YoY). Vehicle margin rose to ~18% and gross margin expanded, supporting sustainable profitability claims. QuiverQuant: Margin & Delivery Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Upside Q1 guidance — Management guided Q1 2026 deliveries to 80,000–83,000 vehicles and gave revenue guidance implying strong YoY growth, signaling momentum into 2026. That outlook helped lift sentiment. Yahoo Finance: Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction and positioning — Shares saw above‑average volume and an unusual spike in call option buying (large increase in call volumes), indicating short-term speculative/bullish positioning. Analysts remain mixed; consensus ratings and targets vary. MarketBeat: Stock Data & Analyst Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term margin risks flagged — Management warned of emerging cost pressures (memory chips, lithium carbonate) that could strain margins in Q2, which investors should watch. MarketBeat: Earnings/Call Notes
• Negative Sentiment: Balance sheet and structural risks remain — Despite positive cash flow for two consecutive quarters and ~$6.7B cash, leverage and liquidity metrics (current/quick ratios <1, debt/equity elevated) and still‑notable short interest mean the stock can be volatile if execution slips. MarketBeat: Financials & Short Interest

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NIO

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in NIO by 3,966.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 5,316,291 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,255,000 after buying an additional 5,185,565 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in NIO by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 256,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $881,000 after acquiring an additional 14,231 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC bought a new position in NIO during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in NIO by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 298,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 9,955 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in NIO by 56.4% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 10,210 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 48.55% of the company’s stock.

About NIO

NIO Inc is a pioneer in the premium electric vehicle (EV) segment, dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of smart, high-performance EVs. Established in November 2014 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, the company focuses on integrating cutting-edge electric propulsion, advanced connectivity and autonomous driving technologies into its automotive platforms. NIO’s vision centers on creating a holistic user experience that extends beyond the vehicle itself, encompassing energy services and digital solutions.

The company’s product lineup includes flagship SUVs and sedans such as the ES8, ES6, EC6, ET7 and ET5, each engineered to deliver strong performance, long range and a suite of intelligent driver-assistance features.