Investors Purchase High Volume of Macy’s Call Options (NYSE:M)

Posted by Brian Himes on Jun 4th, 2026

Macy's logo Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 23,791 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 119% compared to the typical daily volume of 10,841 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

M has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Macy’s from $21.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Macy’s from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group restated a “sell” rating on shares of Macy’s in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Macy’s in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore set a $22.00 target price on Macy’s in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $19.90.

View Our Latest Analysis on M

Insider Buying and Selling at Macy’s

In related news, CEO Antony Spring sold 50,044 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.92, for a total transaction of $896,788.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 485,791 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,705,374.72. This represents a 9.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Olivier Bron sold 7,228 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.92, for a total transaction of $129,525.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,892.80. This trade represents a 25.08% decrease in their position. 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 90 days, insiders sold 94,967 shares of company stock valued at $1,705,276. Corporate insiders own 1.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Macy’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC acquired a new stake in Macy’s in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Macy’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Macy’s by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,543 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Macy’s by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Macy’s by 41.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Macy’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Macy’s this week:

Positive Sentiment: Macy’s beat Q1 earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $0.13 versus $0.02 expected and revenue of $4.89 billion versus $4.61 billion forecast, helping support the stock. Business Wire article
Positive Sentiment: Comparable sales rose 3% year over year, the company’s best first-quarter comps growth in four years, suggesting improving customer demand and execution. CNBC article
Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY26 guidance for sales, comparable sales and adjusted EPS, signaling management sees continued momentum from its “Bold New Chapter” turnaround strategy. WSJ article
Positive Sentiment: Bloomingdale’s and higher-end merchandise are driving stronger performance, which is encouraging investors that Macy’s premium and luxury initiatives are working. WSJ article
Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option buying points to bullish sentiment in the options market, with traders positioning for further upside.
Neutral Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group raised its price target to $23 from $20 but kept a “market perform” rating, suggesting the stock may be near fair value. The Fly article
Neutral Sentiment: Berkshire Hathaway’s newly disclosed stake has added attention to the name, though it appears more like validation of the turnaround than a direct catalyst. Motley Fool article

Macy’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:M traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $23.38. The stock had a trading volume of 6,374,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,863,181. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.49. Macy’s has a 1-year low of $10.54 and a 1-year high of $24.41.

Macy’s (NYSE:M – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, June 3rd. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.11. Macy’s had a return on equity of 14.22% and a net margin of 2.84%.The business had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Macy’s has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.290-0.340 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.000-2.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Macy’s will post 2.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Macy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.1915 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $0.77 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Macy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.19%.

Macy’s Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Macy’s, Inc is a leading American omnichannel retailer operating under the Macy’s brand, as well as specialty divisions Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. The company’s retail portfolio encompasses full-line department stores, fashion-focused specialty outlets and a high-end beauty chain, offering consumers a wide array of apparel, footwear, accessories, cosmetics and home furnishings. Through its integrated network of physical stores and digital platforms, Macy’s seeks to deliver a seamless shopping experience that blends in-store service with online convenience.

The company’s product assortment spans men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, beauty and personal care products, housewares and home décor.