DHT Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:DHT)

DHT Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DHT) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 52,651 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 280% compared to the typical volume of 13,866 call options.

DHT Trading Down 3.2%

NYSE:DHT traded down $0.60 on Friday, hitting $17.94. 4,627,439 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,939,981. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $14.82 and a 200-day moving average of $13.25. The stock has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a PE ratio of 13.68 and a beta of -0.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.80, a quick ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. DHT has a fifty-two week low of $8.99 and a fifty-two week high of $20.55.

DHT (NYSE:DHT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The shipping company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $117.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.96 million. DHT had a net margin of 42.35% and a return on equity of 17.70%. The company’s revenue was up 37.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.34 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that DHT will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

DHT Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 19th were issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $1.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.1%. This is an increase from DHT’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. DHT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 125.19%.

Institutional Trading of DHT

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in shares of DHT by 101.6% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,714 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in DHT by 190.9% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,020 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,982 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of DHT by 91.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,334 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of DHT by 568.0% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,554 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 3,022 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of DHT by 96.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,159 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 2,042 shares during the last quarter. 58.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on DHT shares. BTIG Research boosted 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 report on Wednesday, January 21st. Dnb Carnegie cut DHT from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered DHT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.33.

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.