GoDaddy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:GDDY)

GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE:GDDY) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors acquired 13,002 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 454% compared to the typical volume of 2,345 call options.

GoDaddy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GDDY opened at $101.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 561.10. GoDaddy has a 12 month low of $71.59 and a 12 month high of $143.34. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.87. The stock has a market cap of $12.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.01, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.94.

GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The technology company reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.69 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. GoDaddy had a net margin of 17.83% and a return on equity of 660.96%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.41 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that GoDaddy will post 7.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Leah Sweet sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.44, for a total transaction of $31,668.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,333,856.16. This represents a 2.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Phontip Palitwanon sold 2,261 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.81, for a total value of $207,582.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 17,734 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,628,158.54. This trade represents a 11.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,858 shares of company stock valued at $2,593,081. 0.93% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GoDaddy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GDDY. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in GoDaddy by 191.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 259 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in GoDaddy by 93.8% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 372 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Acuitas Investments LLC purchased a new stake in GoDaddy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of GoDaddy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of GoDaddy by 174.4% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 664 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.28% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting GoDaddy

Here are the key news stories impacting GoDaddy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Potential Gen Digital acquisition: The Financial Times reported that Gen Digital, the cybersecurity company behind Norton, has made a preliminary offer or is considering acquiring GoDaddy. A deal could give Gen access to GoDaddy’s customer base of more than 20 million small businesses, creators and entrepreneurs, expanding its distribution beyond security and privacy products. The report has not indicated that a definitive agreement has been reached. A Major Software Player Has Its Eyes on GoDaddy, Says a Report
• Positive Sentiment: Heavy call-option activity: Investors purchased approximately 13,002 call options, roughly 454% above typical volume. The activity suggests increased bullish speculation and may have amplified the stock’s reaction to the takeover report. Trading was briefly halted under a limit-up/limit-down pause as volatility surged. Most Active Options Report
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating performance was ahead of expectations: GoDaddy’s latest reported quarter included adjusted earnings of $1.83 per share versus the $1.69 consensus estimate and revenue of $1.30 billion versus expectations of $1.29 billion. Revenue increased 6.6% year over year, providing fundamental support for investor interest. Q2 Earnings Highlights: GoDaddy Versus E-commerce Software Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Takeover speculation remains unconfirmed: The reported approach is preliminary, and investors face the risk that negotiations do not progress or that terms are less favorable than implied by the market reaction.
• Negative Sentiment: Securities class-action lawsuits: Several law firms publicized a shareholder lawsuit alleging GoDaddy misrepresented its discounting and customer-acquisition practices between September 3, 2025, and February 24, 2026. The lead-plaintiff deadline is October 20, 2026. The litigation could create legal costs, reputational risk and additional uncertainty, although the announcements largely repeat an already reported case. Kaplan Fox Announces a Securities Class Action Against GoDaddy

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective (up from $93.00) on shares of GoDaddy in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of GoDaddy from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $80.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of GoDaddy to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on GoDaddy from $154.00 to $124.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of GoDaddy in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $110.07.

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy Inc (NYSE: GDDY) is a technology company that provides online tools and services for entrepreneurs, small businesses and individuals. Its offerings are designed to help customers establish, manage and grow an online presence, including domain-name registration, domain search and management, website hosting, professional email and online security services.

The company also provides website-building and commerce solutions that support online stores, appointment scheduling, digital marketing, search-engine optimization, social media management and payment acceptance.