Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (KORS) puts are trading at six times the usual intraday pace
Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) puts have been popular in recent months. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), the stock's 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.05 rests just 4 percentage points from an annual high.
That bearish bias is present today, as options traders gear up for KORS' fiscal fourth-quarter results, due out tomorrow morning. At last check, puts are running at six times the average intraday pace, and more than triple the rate of calls. Digging deeper, the at-the-money August 60 put is most active, and is seeing potential buy-to-open activity. In other words, the buyers think KORS will drop below $60 by August expiration.
Shares of the accessories designer are currently down 2.6% at $60.06 -- and fresh off an annual low of $59.80. Longer term, the stock has plummeted 20% in 2015, pressured by its 20-day moving average.
An earnings miss tomorrow could exacerbate this negative trend. Looking back, KORS has swung an average of 6% in the session following its last eight quarterly reports. What's more, each of its last three post-earnings moves have been to the downside.
Should recent history repeat itself, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) is at risk of negative analyst attention. Eight of 22 brokerage firms consider the shares a "buy" or better, and just one has dubbed them a "sell." Plus, the equity's consensus 12-month price target of $82.46 stands at a 37% premium to current trading levels. This morning, Canaccord Genuity, Deutsche Bank, and Mizuho each lowered their price targets on KORS.