Sprott Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SII)

Sprott Inc. (NYSE:SII) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 43,545 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 10,896% compared to the average volume of 396 call options.

Sprott Price Performance

SII traded down $0.69 on Friday, reaching $88.00. 102,742 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 172,956. The company has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.15 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $80.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.71. Sprott has a 52-week low of $39.33 and a 52-week high of $94.82.

Sprott (NYSE:SII) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.06. Sprott had a net margin of 23.26% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The firm had revenue of $49.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.71 million.

Sprott Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Sprott’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Sprott’s dividend payout ratio is presently 61.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sprott

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in Sprott by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares in the last quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sprott during the third quarter valued at $228,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in shares of Sprott by 31.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 178,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,825,000 after acquiring an additional 42,349 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sprott during the third quarter valued at $878,000. Finally, Zuckerman Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Sprott in the third quarter valued at about $225,000. Institutional investors own 28.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on SII. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Sprott in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Securities lowered shares of Sprott from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Sprott Company Profile

Sprott Inc is a publicly owned asset management holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the firm provides asset management, portfolio management, wealth management, fund management, and administrative and consulting services to its clients. It offers mutual funds, hedge funds, and offshore funds, along with managed accounts.