The brokerage firm said the retailer's valuation is "too low to ignore"
Shares of Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) are higher out of the gate, after HSBC initiated coverage with a "buy" rating and an $88 price target, saying the retailer's valuation is "too low to ignore." The brokerage firm's price target represents 31% upside to Friday's close, and sits in territory not charted since July 2014. At last check, KORS stock is up 1.8% to trade at $68.16.
Looking at the charts, KORS rallied hard from its July 2017 lows near $33 to its early February peak at $69.95, but has since been in a sideways trend between $56 and $70 -- though the latter is home to its April 30 three-year high. More recently, the retailer has benefited from the support of its 50-day moving average.
Digging into options, short-term traders are more call-skewed than usual on the security. This is evidenced by Michael Kors stock's Schaeffer's put/call open interest ratio (SOIR) of 0.46, which ranks in the 24th percentile of its annual range. The July 67.50 call is home to peak open interest of 4,766 contracts, and data from the major options exchanges confirms notable buy-to-open activity here.
Those currently looking to buy premium on the equity are in luck, considering it is an affordable time to buy KOR options. The stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 28% registers in the 11th percentile of its annual range. In other words, near-term options are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations at the moment.