Olaplex Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:OLPX)

Olaplex Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLPX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors bought 11,414 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,927% compared to the typical daily volume of 563 call options.

Key Stories Impacting Olaplex

Here are the key news stories impacting Olaplex this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Definitive acquisition deal — Henkel will buy Olaplex for $2.06/share in cash, valuing the company at about $1.4B and representing roughly a 55% premium to the prior close. This sets a clear near-term floor for the stock at the deal price (absent a competing bid or deal failure). OLAPLEX press release
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction and momentum — reports show a premarket surge (~49%) and heavy trading volume as investors reprice around the deal premium; large block buying of call options (11,414 contracts, a ~1,927% rise vs. average) suggests speculative/informed positioning anticipating upside or takeover arbitrage. Seeking Alpha: Henkel Adds Shine With Olaplex
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal context and timing — reports from multiple outlets (CNBC, WSJ, Reuters) confirm Henkel’s interest and near-term agreement; standard closing conditions, regulatory review and customary covenants apply. These are routine but determine expected timing of deal completion. CNBC: Olaplex to be acquired by Henkel
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest reporting is unclear — recent entries show effectively zero reported short interest (likely data or reporting artifact), so short squeeze dynamics are not clearly in play based on available figures.
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation/investigation — Ademi LLP announced an investigation into whether Olaplex’s shareholders are receiving a fair price, alleging possible fiduciary breaches related to the transaction. Such investigations can lead to delays, supplemental disclosures, negotiated price changes or litigation that could pressure the stock if successful. PR Newswire: Shareholder Alert (Ademi)

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel John C. Duffy sold 34,962 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.26, for a total value of $44,052.12. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 982,855 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,238,397.30. The trade was a 3.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Catherine Dunleavy sold 93,809 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.26, for a total transaction of $118,199.34. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 3,026,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,813,875.10. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 215,442 shares of company stock valued at $271,457 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Olaplex

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Olaplex in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Olaplex during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Abel Hall LLC bought a new position in shares of Olaplex in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Olaplex in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Olaplex in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Olaplex Price Performance

Shares of OLPX stock traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $2.01. The stock had a trading volume of 96,292,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,477,752. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.35. The company has a current ratio of 4.58, a quick ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Olaplex has a 12 month low of $0.99 and a 12 month high of $2.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of -200.50 and a beta of 2.24.

Olaplex (NASDAQ:OLPX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.01. Olaplex had a negative net margin of 2.19% and a positive return on equity of 1.07%. The business had revenue of $105.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $104.21 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.01 EPS. Olaplex’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Olaplex will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on OLPX. Evercore set a $2.50 price target on shares of Olaplex in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Olaplex in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $1.40 target price on Olaplex in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Zacks Research raised Olaplex from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Olaplex in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Olaplex presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1.88.

About Olaplex

Olaplex, Inc (NASDAQ: OLPX) is a specialty haircare company known for its patented bond-building technology designed to repair and strengthen hair from within. The company’s core offerings encompass a range of professional salon treatments and at-home maintenance products that target chemical damage, breakage and split ends. Olaplex formulations are built around a proprietary active ingredient that works at the molecular level to rebuild disulfide bonds broken during bleaching, coloring and heat styling processes.

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Irvine, California, Olaplex initially gained traction among high-end salons before expanding into broader retail channels.