DHT Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:DHT)

DHT Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DHT) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 22,365 call options on the company. This is an increase of 700% compared to the average volume of 2,795 call options.

DHT Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE:DHT traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $16.25. 3,360,021 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,765,092. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41 and a beta of -0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 2.47. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.66. DHT has a 52-week low of $8.99 and a 52-week high of $16.33.

DHT (NYSE:DHT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The shipping company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. DHT had a net margin of 42.35% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The business had revenue of $117.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $116.96 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that DHT will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

DHT Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be given a $0.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.1%. This is an increase from DHT’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. DHT’s dividend payout ratio is 125.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of DHT from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of DHT in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded DHT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. Evercore raised their target price on shares of DHT from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of DHT in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.33.

Institutional Trading of DHT

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in DHT. BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC bought a new position in shares of DHT in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,513,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in DHT in the 4th quarter valued at $416,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of DHT by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 76,466 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 8,424 shares in the last quarter. Harvey Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in DHT by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Harvey Capital Management Inc. now owns 202,950 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $2,478,000 after purchasing an additional 4,750 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of DHT by 3,692.4% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 132,697 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $1,620,000 after purchasing an additional 129,198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 58.53% of the company’s stock.

About DHT

DHT Holdings, Inc (NYSE: DHT) is a Bermuda-based independent crude oil tanker company that provides seaborne transportation of crude oil on a worldwide basis. The company’s core business involves the ownership and operation of a modern fleet of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Suezmax tankers, which are chartered to oil producers, trading houses and national oil companies. Through spot charters, time-charters and tanker pooling arrangements, DHT connects crude oil exporters with refining hubs in Asia, Europe, North America and other global markets.

Founded in 2005 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange later that year, DHT has grown its presence in the maritime sector by focusing on operational efficiency and disciplined capital management.