Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM)

Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ:GSM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 3,346 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 194% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,138 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ferroglobe

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GSM. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Ferroglobe in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in shares of Ferroglobe in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Ferroglobe by 66.1% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 7,902 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,146 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Ferroglobe by 1,017,300.0% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,174 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 10,173 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Ferroglobe during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.64% of the company’s stock.

Ferroglobe Trading Up 3.4%

Ferroglobe stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 876,096 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,190,218. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4.90 and its 200 day moving average is $4.59. Ferroglobe has a 1-year low of $2.97 and a 1-year high of $5.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $930.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.78 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.66.

Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The basic materials company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $329.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $293.60 million. Ferroglobe had a negative return on equity of 6.13% and a negative net margin of 9.92%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ferroglobe will post 0.33 EPS for the current year.

Ferroglobe Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 23rd will be given a $0.015 dividend. This is a boost from Ferroglobe’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 23rd. Ferroglobe’s dividend payout ratio is -8.11%.

Key Ferroglobe News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ferroglobe this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised dividend and buyback-capable balance sheet — management increased the quarterly dividend to $0.015/share (7% raise, ~1.2% yield) and reported $123M cash with modest net debt, a signal of cash flexibility that supports the stock. GlobeNewswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and improving segment trends — Q4 sales $329.4M topped estimates and the alloys businesses (silicon‑based and manganese‑based) showed sequential volume and EBITDA improvement, supporting expectations for better 2026 performance. Quiver Quant Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable trade measures and contracts — EU safeguard measures and positive U.S. silicon-metal trade developments plus a 10‑year French energy agreement reduce import pressure and energy cost volatility, improving the industry outlook. GlobeNewswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — a large uptick in call buying (3,346 calls, ~194% above average daily call volume) suggests short‑term bullish positioning by some traders (can amplify intraday moves).
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional flows — recent filings show both sizable additions and large trims by different funds; this indicates divergent views among institutions rather than a clear directional endorsement. Quiver Quant Institutional Activity
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP losses, energy‑related charges and cash flow weakness — Q4 net loss attributable to the parent was $81M (diluted EPS -$0.43), a $40.2M fair‑value loss on French energy contracts, reduced operating cash flow (Q4 outflow), and weaker full‑year results remain key risks for valuation and near‑term earnings recovery. GlobeNewswire Release

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on GSM. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ferroglobe in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. B. Riley Financial dropped their price objective on Ferroglobe from $8.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ferroglobe from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ferroglobe from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ferroglobe has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.00.

Ferroglobe Company Profile

Ferroglobe PLC is a leading producer of specialty metals and alloys, serving a diverse range of industrial customers worldwide. The company’s core operations focus on the manufacture of silicon metal, silicon-based alloys, manganese-based alloys and rare earth alloys, which are essential inputs for the aluminum, steel, chemical and electronics industries. Ferroglobe’s product portfolio includes high-purity silicon, ferrosilicon, silicon manganese, manganese alloys and various recarburizers used to enhance metal strength, durability and conductivity.

With production facilities located across North America, Europe, South America and Africa, Ferroglobe maintains a global footprint that allows it to supply customers on multiple continents.