Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Grupo Financiero Galicia (NASDAQ:GGAL)

Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (NASDAQ:GGAL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 7,139 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 285% compared to the average daily volume of 1,854 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on GGAL. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.20.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Grupo Financiero Galicia by 78.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,536 shares of the bank's stock valued at $158,000 after purchasing an additional 1,118 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Grupo Financiero Galicia during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. JGP Global Gestao de Recursos Ltda. acquired a new position in Grupo Financiero Galicia during the 4th quarter valued at about $820,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,248,936 shares of the bank's stock worth $77,834,000 after buying an additional 27,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT bought a new stake in shares of Grupo Financiero Galicia during the 4th quarter worth about $218,000.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ GGAL traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $54.38. 905,313 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,110,249. Grupo Financiero Galicia has a 12 month low of $23.53 and a 12 month high of $74.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 8.01 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a 50 day moving average of $58.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.55.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 3rd will be issued a $0.2631 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 3rd. Grupo Financiero Galicia's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.83%.

Grupo Financiero Galicia Company Profile

Grupo Financiero Galicia SA, a financial service holding company, provides various financial products and services to individuals and companies in Argentina. The company operates through Banks, NaranjaX, Insurance, and Other Businesses segments. It also offers personal loans; express and mortgage loans; pledge and credit card loans; credit and debit cards; and online banking services, as well as savings, deposits, and checking accounts related services.