Manchester United Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:MANU)

Manchester United plc (NYSE:MANU) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors acquired 6,133 put options on the company. This is an increase of 711% compared to the typical daily volume of 756 put options.

Institutional Trading of Manchester United

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MANU. Lancaster Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of Manchester United by 45.2% in the 4th quarter. Lancaster Investment Management now owns 816,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,164,000 after buying an additional 254,280 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Manchester United by 129.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Manchester United by 127.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Manchester United by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 23,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 4,606 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Manchester United during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $130,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.34% of the company’s stock.

Manchester United Stock Down 0.2 %

MANU stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $16.04. 46,779 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 197,902. The company has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of -24.17 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. Manchester United has a twelve month low of $13.50 and a twelve month high of $21.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MANU. StockNews.com upgraded Manchester United to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Manchester United in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $23.00 target price on the stock.

About Manchester United

Manchester United plc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a professional sports team in the United Kingdom. It operates Manchester United Football Club, a professional football club. The company develops marketing and sponsorship relationships with international and regional companies to leverage its brand.