Capital One Financial Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:COF)

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 63,136 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 368% compared to the average daily volume of 13,482 call options.

Trending Headlines about Capital One Financial

Here are the key news stories impacting Capital One Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options flow — investors bought ~63,136 call options Monday (≈+368% vs. typical call volume), signaling short‑term bullish positioning or hedging interest that can lift the stock if sentiment stays positive.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst lift — JPMorgan raised its price target on COF from $237 to $256 (maintaining a “neutral” rating), implying near‑term upside vs. where the stock traded. JPMorgan raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Media endorsement — Jim Cramer publicly called Capital One “absolutely terrific,” which can support retail buying and sentiment. Cramer praises Capital One
• Neutral Sentiment: Minor insider sale — the company’s general counsel sold $500k of stock; size is modest relative to market cap and could be routine diversification rather than a red flag. Insider selling report
• Negative Sentiment: $425M depositor settlement — Capital One agreed to pay $425 million over claims about its 360 Savings program; a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a revised settlement, keeping legal cash outflows and reputational risk top of mind. Settlement wins preliminary approval
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk — renewed calls from political figures to cap credit‑card interest rates (e.g., a proposed 10% cap) have pressured card issuers’ stocks because such a cap would directly hit profit margins and card yields. Market headlines linking COF to this proposal drove selling pressure earlier in the session. WSJ coverage of proposed rate cap

Insider Transactions at Capital One Financial

In other Capital One Financial news, insider Celia Karam sold 2,064 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.35, for a total transaction of $504,338.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 61,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,996,492.55. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lia Dean sold 3,163 shares of Capital One Financial stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $244.35, for a total transaction of $772,879.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 66,692 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,296,190.20. This represents a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 298,895 shares of company stock worth $67,111,541 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capital One Financial in the second quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Plancorp LLC acquired a new position in Capital One Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $272,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Capital One Financial by 53.9% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 88,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $18,830,000 after buying an additional 30,991 shares during the period. Cortland Associates Inc. MO bought a new position in Capital One Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $14,391,000. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 1,490.0% during the second quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 43,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,252,000 after buying an additional 40,751 shares in the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on COF. Zacks Research downgraded Capital One Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Capital One Financial from $245.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Capital One Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Capital One Financial from $260.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $275.00 target price on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $278.20.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

NYSE COF traded down $16.00 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $233.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 15,052,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,451,966. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $148.26 billion, a PE ratio of 98.40, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $230.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $222.26. Capital One Financial has a fifty-two week low of $143.22 and a fifty-two week high of $259.64.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $5.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 2.24% and a return on equity of 10.94%. The company had revenue of $15.46 billion for the quarter. Analysts forecast that Capital One Financial will post 15.65 EPS for the current year.

Capital One Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This is a positive change from Capital One Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Capital One Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 135.02%.

About Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The company’s core businesses include credit card lending, consumer and commercial banking, and auto finance. Capital One issues a wide range of credit card products for consumers and small businesses, and it operates deposit and digital banking services aimed at retail customers and small to midsize enterprises.

Products and services include credit and charge cards, checking and savings accounts (including the online-focused Capital One 360 platform), auto loans, and commercial lending solutions.