Investors Buy High Volume of B. Riley Financial Call Options (NASDAQ:RILY)

B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:RILY - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 86,778 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 105% compared to the average volume of 42,433 call options.

B. Riley Financial Stock Up 16.6 %

RILY traded up $4.94 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,302,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,428,411. The stock's 50-day moving average is $20.19 and its 200-day moving average is $23.81. The company has a current ratio of 4.95, a quick ratio of 4.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.44 and a beta of 1.56. B. Riley Financial has a 1 year low of $14.46 and a 1 year high of $60.72.

B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ:RILY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The asset manager reported ($1.86) earnings per share for the quarter. B. Riley Financial had a negative return on equity of 8.29% and a negative net margin of 4.75%. The firm had revenue of $346.51 million during the quarter.

B. Riley Financial Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. B. Riley Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently -71.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On B. Riley Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RILY. FMR LLC increased its position in B. Riley Financial by 51,501.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 703,837 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $28,850,000 after buying an additional 702,473 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in B. Riley Financial by 619,372.7% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 272,568 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $11,173,000 after acquiring an additional 272,524 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of B. Riley Financial by 818.2% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 181,449 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $3,809,000 after purchasing an additional 161,687 shares during the period. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of B. Riley Financial by 15.5% in the third quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 776,020 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $31,809,000 after purchasing an additional 104,344 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of B. Riley Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $3,756,000. 50.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

B. Riley Financial Company Profile

B. Riley Financial, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides financial services to corporate, institutional, and high net worth clients in North America, Australia, and Europe. The company operates through six segments: Capital Markets, Wealth Management, Financial Consulting, Auction and Liquidation, Communications, and Consumer.

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