QuantumScape Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:QS)

QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 76,599 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 83% compared to the average volume of 41,760 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on QS shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of QuantumScape in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. HSBC upgraded shares of QuantumScape from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $10.50 to $8.30 in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of QuantumScape from $12.00 to $8.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 price target on shares of QuantumScape in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $11.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at QuantumScape

In other QuantumScape news, insider Mohit Singh sold 50,000 shares of QuantumScape stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.87, for a total value of $393,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,803,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,189,885.45. The trade was a 2.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Timothy Holme sold 150,183 shares of QuantumScape stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.50, for a total transaction of $1,126,372.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 1,712,506 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,843,795. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 824,328 shares of company stock worth $5,884,730. 5.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in QuantumScape during the third quarter worth about $33,962,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of QuantumScape by 1.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 36,635,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,346,000 after purchasing an additional 422,378 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of QuantumScape in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,475,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D purchased a new stake in shares of QuantumScape in the third quarter valued at about $3,330,000. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of QuantumScape in the third quarter valued at about $2,222,000. 29.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

QuantumScape Price Performance

QS traded up $0.50 on Tuesday, hitting $8.70. 20,150,482 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,245,813. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 21.14 and a current ratio of 21.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $7.10 and its 200 day moving average is $9.27. QuantumScape has a fifty-two week low of $3.88 and a fifty-two week high of $19.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.74 and a beta of 2.57.

QuantumScape (NYSE:QS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.02. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.21) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that QuantumScape will post -0.82 EPS for the current year.

QuantumScape Company Profile

QuantumScape Corporation is a development-stage company specializing in the research and commercialization of next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries for electric vehicles. The company’s core technology replaces the traditional liquid electrolyte with a solid ceramic separator, aiming to deliver higher energy density, faster charging times and enhanced safety compared to conventional lithium-ion cells. QuantumScape’s product roadmap focuses on enabling electric vehicle manufacturers to extend driving range and reduce charging downtime, addressing key barriers to widespread EV adoption.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Jose, California, QuantumScape has attracted significant strategic investment and formed partnerships with leading automotive OEMs.