Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Mistras Group (NYSE:MG)

Mistras Group Inc (NYSE:MG) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 2,544 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,185% compared to the average daily volume of 198 call options.

Mistras Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Mistras Group stock traded up $0.03 on Thursday, reaching $19.48. The company had a trading volume of 93,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,860. The firm has a market cap of $620.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $17.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.46. Mistras Group has a 1 year low of $9.09 and a 1 year high of $20.20.

Mistras Group (NYSE:MG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The technology company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $193.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.66 million. Mistras Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.65%. As a group, research analysts predict that Mistras Group will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Mistras Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Mistras Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Mistras Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Roth Capital initiated coverage on Mistras Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mistras Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $19.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mistras Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MG. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Mistras Group by 249.4% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 204,840 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,028,000 after purchasing an additional 146,222 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Mistras Group by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,421,087 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $17,977,000 after buying an additional 78,340 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mistras Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,040,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Mistras Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,392,000. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Mistras Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $977,000. 74.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Mistras Group Company Profile

Mistras Group, Inc is a global provider of technology-enabled asset protection solutions and services, with a primary focus on nondestructive testing (NDT), inspection, and monitoring of critical infrastructure and industrial assets. The company’s offerings span a wide range of techniques—such as ultrasonic testing, eddy current detection, magnetic particle inspection, radiography and acoustic emission—to help clients in energy, petrochemical, aerospace, manufacturing and other sectors identify and address potential failures before they occur.

In addition to traditional NDT services, Mistras delivers engineered materials solutions, including composite repairs and specialty coatings, along with predictive maintenance and condition monitoring programs.