Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Macy’s (NYSE:M)

Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 64,577 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 466% compared to the average volume of 11,400 put options.

Macy’s Stock Performance

M stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $23.55. The company had a trading volume of 6,527,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,493,024. The firm has a market cap of $6.15 billion, a PE ratio of 8.63 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 1.59. Macy’s has a 12 month low of $16.69 and a 12 month high of $26.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $22.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.19.

Macy’s (NYSE:M) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.26. Macy’s had a net margin of 3.29% and a return on equity of 13.21%. The firm had revenue of $5.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Macy’s has set its Q3 2026 guidance at -0.230–0.190 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.350 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Macy’s will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Macy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.1915 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $0.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Macy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Macy’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Macy’s by 2.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,475,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,035,000 after buying an additional 329,675 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Macy’s by 81.9% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,763,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,266,000 after buying an additional 2,594,549 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Macy’s by 1,344.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,059,374 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,344,000 after buying an additional 2,847,561 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Macy’s by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,913,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,707,000 after buying an additional 287,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Macy’s by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,881,348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,034,000 after buying an additional 543,867 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Macy’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Macy’s in a report on Monday, September 14th. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Macy’s in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Macy’s in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Macy’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.78.

Macy’s Company Profile

Macy’s, Inc (NYSE:M) is an American omnichannel retailer that sells apparel, accessories, beauty products, home furnishings, jewelry, and other consumer merchandise through department stores, specialty stores, and digital platforms. Its principal brands include Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury, a beauty retailer offering cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and related services.

The company serves customers primarily in the United States through its stores and e-commerce operations. Macy’s offers a mix of national and private-brand merchandise, while Bloomingdale’s focuses on premium and luxury products and Bluemercury operates beauty stores and in-store beauty shops.