Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Woodside Energy Group (NYSE:WDS)

Key Points

• Traders bought an unusually large number of call options — 2,439 call options on Thursday, a 522% increase over the typical daily volume — indicating notable bullish options interest.
• Shares rose $2.32 to $25.17 on heavy trading (1,203,510 shares versus an average of 1,091,830), moving the stock toward its one‑year high.
• The company announced a $0.59 per share dividend payable March 27 (record date March 6), while analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy, supported by recent upgrades and institutional buying including a new $2.45M stake by XTX Topco.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (NYSE:WDS - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 2,439 call options on the company. This is an increase of 522% compared to the typical daily volume of 392 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WDS. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Woodside Energy Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Woodside Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Woodside Energy Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in Woodside Energy Group by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 3,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. SG Trading Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Woodside Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at $329,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Woodside Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at $188,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in Woodside Energy Group by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,173 shares of the company's stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Woodside Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,450,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.17% of the company's stock.

Woodside Energy Group Price Performance

Woodside Energy Group stock traded up $2.32 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $25.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,203,510 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,091,830. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. Woodside Energy Group has a 1-year low of $11.26 and a 1-year high of $25.14. The stock's fifty day moving average is $18.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.93.

Woodside Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a yield of 594.0%.

About Woodside Energy Group

Woodside Energy Group NYSE: WDS is an Australia-based energy company focused on the exploration, development, production and marketing of oil and natural gas, with a strong emphasis on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The company's activities span the upstream value chain, including exploration and appraisal of hydrocarbon resources, development and operation of production facilities, and the sale and delivery of hydrocarbons to global customers.

Woodside's operations center on conventional oil and gas projects and large-scale LNG processing and export, supported by project management, engineering and commercial trading capabilities.

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