Children’s Place Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:PLCE)

The Children’s Place, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLCE) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 3,077 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 41% compared to the typical volume of 2,187 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on PLCE. UBS Group raised their price objective on Children’s Place from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Children’s Place in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $8.00.

Children’s Place Stock Performance

PLCE traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $7.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 442,977 shares, compared to its average volume of 596,085. Children’s Place has a twelve month low of $3.66 and a twelve month high of $12.62. The stock has a market cap of $166.92 million, a P/E ratio of -9.02 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 75.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Children’s Place

In related news, CEO Muhammad Umair bought 7,143 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.00 per share, for a total transaction of $50,001.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 277,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,943,669. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.62% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Corton Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Children’s Place during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Children’s Place during the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Children’s Place during the third quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Children’s Place in the third quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Children’s Place in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $168,000.

Children’s Place Company Profile

The Children’s Place, Inc engages in the provision of apparel, footwear, accessories, and other items for children. The firm also designs contracts to manufacture and sell fashionable and value-priced merchandise under the brand names of The Children’s Place, Baby Place, and Gymboree. It operates through The Children’s Place U.S.