Marshall Wace LLP Increases Stock Position in Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ:GSM)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ:GSM - Free Report) by 1,722.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 659,563 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 623,363 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.35% of Ferroglobe worth $2,506,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ferroglobe in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ferroglobe during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. LPL Financial LLC bought a new stake in Ferroglobe during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in shares of Ferroglobe in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, RPO LLC bought a new position in shares of Ferroglobe during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 89.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ferroglobe Stock Performance

Ferroglobe stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $3.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 223,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,161,891. The company has a market capitalization of $659.72 million, a P/E ratio of 176.75 and a beta of 1.58. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $3.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3.94. Ferroglobe PLC has a 12-month low of $2.97 and a 12-month high of $6.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.82.

Ferroglobe (NASDAQ:GSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The basic materials company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.04. Ferroglobe had a return on equity of 6.36% and a net margin of 0.32%. The company had revenue of $367.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $393.00 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Ferroglobe PLC will post 0.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ferroglobe Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.014 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $0.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. This is a boost from Ferroglobe's previous quarterly dividend of $0.01. Ferroglobe's dividend payout ratio is presently 250.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Ferroglobe from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Ferroglobe from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

About Ferroglobe

Ferroglobe PLC produces and sells silicon metal, and silicon and manganese-based ferroalloys in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It provides silicone chemicals that are used in a range of applications, including personal care items, construction-related products, health care products, and electronics; and silicon metal for primary and secondary aluminum producers.