Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Ballard Power Systems Call Options (NASDAQ:BLDP)

Ballard Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLDP) (TSE:BLD) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 23,613 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 278% compared to the typical volume of 6,249 call options.

Institutional Trading of Ballard Power Systems

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Ballard Power Systems by 228.1% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 10,000 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Ballard Power Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ballard Power Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. bought a new position in Ballard Power Systems during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in Ballard Power Systems during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.02% of the company’s stock.

Ballard Power Systems Stock Down 7.0%

BLDP stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $4.08. The company had a trading volume of 5,922,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,644,131. The company has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.20 and a beta of 2.19. Ballard Power Systems has a 52 week low of $1.39 and a 52 week high of $6.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 10.70 and a quick ratio of 9.90.

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) (TSE:BLD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The technology company reported ($0.04) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.02. Ballard Power Systems had a negative return on equity of 13.48% and a negative net margin of 78.60%.The company had revenue of $18.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.88 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ballard Power Systems will post -0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BLDP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Ballard Power Systems from $2.60 to $4.25 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ballard Power Systems from $1.50 to $2.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Ballard Power Systems from $2.40 to $4.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. National Bank Financial boosted their target price on Ballard Power Systems from $3.15 to $4.75 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ballard Power Systems in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $3.59.

About Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) is a Canadian technology company specializing in the development and manufacture of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell products. Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ballard designs and sells fuel cell stacks and modules that enable zero-emission power generation for a variety of applications, including heavy-duty motive systems, backup power, material handling equipment, and portable power solutions.

Since its founding in 1979, Ballard has built a strong intellectual property portfolio and a track record of innovation in PEM fuel cell technology.