Petco Health and Wellness Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:WOOF)

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:WOOF) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 18,992 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 552% compared to the average daily volume of 2,914 call options.

Petco Health and Wellness Trading Up 0.3 %

WOOF stock opened at $3.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.68 and a beta of 1.91. Petco Health and Wellness has a 52-week low of $1.41 and a 52-week high of $9.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $2.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.

Petco Health and Wellness (NASDAQ:WOOF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.03. Petco Health and Wellness had a negative net margin of 21.27% and a negative return on equity of 4.22%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Petco Health and Wellness will post -0.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Petco Health and Wellness from $2.50 to $3.25 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Petco Health and Wellness from $3.00 to $2.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Petco Health and Wellness from $4.00 to $3.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Petco Health and Wellness from $2.70 to $3.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 24th. Finally, Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $1.50 target price (down previously from $5.00) on shares of Petco Health and Wellness in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Petco Health and Wellness presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $3.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Petco Health and Wellness

In other Petco Health and Wellness news, Director Cameron Breitner purchased 750,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3.14 per share, for a total transaction of $2,355,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 750,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,355,000. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Petco Health and Wellness

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Petco Health and Wellness during the first quarter worth about $4,091,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Petco Health and Wellness by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 45,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 4,836 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Petco Health and Wellness in the 1st quarter worth about $150,000. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Petco Health and Wellness by 108.6% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 73,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 38,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Delap Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Petco Health and Wellness in the 1st quarter worth about $49,000.

About Petco Health and Wellness

Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc, operates as a health and wellness company, focuses on enhancing the lives of pets, pet parents, and its Petco partners in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The company provides veterinary care, grooming, training, tele-health, and Vital Care and pet health insurance services, as well as veterinary services through Vetco mobile clinics.