Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Tronox (NYSE:TROX)

Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders bought 5,301 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,478% compared to the typical volume of 336 call options.

Tronox Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:TROX opened at $5.48 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $6.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.39. Tronox has a 1 year low of $4.35 and a 1 year high of $20.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $865.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.68 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Tronox (NYSE:TROX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.03). Tronox had a negative net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 0.63%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Tronox will post 0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Tronox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.12%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Tronox’s payout ratio is -161.29%.

Insider Transactions at Tronox

In other news, Director Stephen J. Jones bought 30,000 shares of Tronox stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $7.17 per share, for a total transaction of $215,100.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 30,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,100. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Tronox

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Tronox by 320.1% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 182,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,672,000 after purchasing an additional 139,161 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Tronox by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 841,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,307,000 after purchasing an additional 46,721 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Tronox by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 69,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 5,309 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Tronox by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 22,242 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Tronox in the fourth quarter worth about $403,000. 73.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TROX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Tronox from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Tronox from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Tronox from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Tronox from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Tronox from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.93.

About Tronox

Tronox Holdings plc operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer of TiO2 pigment in North America, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates titanium-bearing mineral sand mines; and engages in beneficiation and smelting operations. It offers TiO2 pigment; ultrafine specialty TiO2; zircon; feedstock; pig iron; monazite; titanium tetrachloride; and other products.