Enbridge Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:ENB)

Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB - Get Free Report) TSE: ENB saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 20,216 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,036% compared to the average daily volume of 1,779 put options.

Enbridge Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE ENB opened at $44.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Enbridge has a 1-year low of $34.60 and a 1-year high of $47.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $44.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.37. The company has a market capitalization of $97.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.84.

Enbridge (NYSE:ENB - Get Free Report) TSE: ENB last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 9th. The pipeline company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $7.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.20 billion. Enbridge had a return on equity of 10.16% and a net margin of 10.04%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Enbridge will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Enbridge Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.679 per share. This is a positive change from Enbridge's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.06%. Enbridge's dividend payout ratio is 139.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on ENB. National Bankshares restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Enbridge in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Enbridge in a research note on Monday. TD Securities began coverage on Enbridge in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. CIBC reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Enbridge in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Enbridge in a research report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enbridge

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Enbridge by 1.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 93,187,025 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $4,124,271,000 after buying an additional 1,569,879 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Enbridge by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 75,439,320 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $3,338,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148,580 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Enbridge by 1.3% during the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 39,265,817 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,737,602,000 after purchasing an additional 513,058 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Enbridge by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,752,759 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $1,643,935,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Enbridge by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 36,336,212 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $1,541,745,000 after purchasing an additional 4,426,684 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.60% of the company's stock.

About Enbridge

Enbridge Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company. The company operates through five segments: Liquids Pipelines, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Gas Distribution and Storage, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment operates pipelines and related terminals to transport various grades of crude oil and other liquid hydrocarbons in Canada and the United States.

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