Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE:VSH)

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 8,496 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 56% compared to the average volume of 5,451 call options.

Vishay Intertechnology Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VSH traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.31. The stock had a trading volume of 2,206,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,497,544. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Vishay Intertechnology has a 12-month low of $11.77 and a 12-month high of $69.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3,731.30 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.52.

Vishay Intertechnology (NYSE:VSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The semiconductor company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $839.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $823.54 million. Vishay Intertechnology had a return on equity of 0.22% and a net margin of 0.07%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.03) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Vishay Intertechnology will post 0.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Vishay Intertechnology Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 18th were given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 18th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Vishay Intertechnology’s payout ratio is 4,000.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vishay Intertechnology

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Vishay Intertechnology by 212.4% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,062 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Vishay Intertechnology during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Vishay Intertechnology during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vishay Intertechnology in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vishay Intertechnology by 255.8% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,124 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 3,684 shares in the last quarter. 93.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VSH. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vishay Intertechnology from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vishay Intertechnology from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Vishay Intertechnology from $18.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Vishay Intertechnology from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $24.00.

About Vishay Intertechnology

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc is a global manufacturer of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, serving a wide range of industries including industrial, automotive, computing, consumer electronics, telecommunications, medical, and military/aerospace markets. The company’s portfolio encompasses resistors, capacitors, inductors, sensors, diodes, rectifiers, MOSFETs and a variety of integrated circuit solutions. Vishay’s components are used in power management, signal conditioning, circuit protection and sensing applications, supporting both standard and custom designs for original equipment manufacturers worldwide.

Originally founded in 1962 by Dr.