Bed Bath & Beyond is expected to post earnings before the open on Thursday, January 7
The shares of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ:BBBY) are up 8.3% this afternoon, last seen trading at $19.52, pushing past a price-target cut from J.P. Morgan Securities to $21 from $28. This comes just ahead of the retailer's fiscal third-quarter earnings report, which is due out before the market open on Thursday, January 7. Below, we'll dive deeper into BBBY's earnings history, and what the options market is pricing in ahead of the event.
On the charts, BBBY managed to tack on 312.5% over the last nine months. While the security managed to ride the formerly supportive 50-day moving average to this peak, BBBY crashed below this level in early December and now the trendline is acting as a level of resistance on the charts. Bulls shouldn't fret just yet though, the equity's 100-day moving average has acted as a layer of support for roughly seven months, and though it temporarily dipped below the trendline a few sessions ago, it's sitting well above here once more. Already in 2021, Bed Bath & Beyond stock has added 9.3%.
A look back at analyst sentiment shows the majority of analysts are skeptical on BBBY, with eight out of 13 in coverage rating it a “hold” or “strong sell.” Meanwhile, the consensus 12-month target price of $24.21 is a 24.4% premium to the stock’s current levels. Should BBBY do well on Thursday, a round of analyst bull notes could put some wind at the equity's back.
An unwinding of pessimism could propel the equity higher, too. Short interest rose 10% in the two most recent reporting periods, and the 72.77 million shares sold short make up a whopping 61.2% of the stock's available float, or more than seven days worth of pent-up buying power.
In the options pits, BBBY sports 10-day call/put volume ratio of 2.48 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits higher than 83% of all other readings from the past 12 months, suggesting a much healthier appetite for calls as of late.
Looking back, the stock has a history of mixed post-earnings swings after quarterly reports during the past two years. This includes a 24.5% fall in July 2020, followed by a 25.1% rise after the subsequent quarterly report, in October 2020. The security averaged a 14.7% next-day move, regardless of direction, during this time period. This time around, the options pits are pricing in a gigantic, 21.7% shift.