Tronox Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:TROX)

Tronox Holdings plc (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders bought 5,301 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,478% compared to the typical volume of 336 call options.

Tronox Price Performance

Shares of TROX traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $5.59. The stock had a trading volume of 2,474,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,405,656. The business has a fifty day moving average of $6.56 and a 200 day moving average of $9.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm has a market cap of $882.87 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.03 and a beta of 1.53. Tronox has a 12 month low of $4.35 and a 12 month high of $20.70.

Tronox (NYSE:TROX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.03). Tronox had a negative net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 0.63%. Equities analysts predict that Tronox will post 0.49 EPS for the current year.

Tronox Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.94%. Tronox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -161.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Tronox news, Director Stephen J. Jones purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $7.17 per share, with a total value of $215,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 30,000 shares in the company, valued at $215,100. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Tronox

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Tronox by 320.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 182,629 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,672,000 after acquiring an additional 139,161 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Tronox by 5.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 841,230 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,307,000 after purchasing an additional 46,721 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Tronox by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 69,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $702,000 after purchasing an additional 5,309 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Tronox by 123.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 40,195 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 22,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Tronox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $403,000. 73.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TROX has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho dropped their target price on Tronox from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Tronox from $16.00 to $15.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Tronox from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Tronox from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Tronox from $16.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $12.93.

Tronox Company Profile

Tronox Holdings plc operates as a vertically integrated manufacturer of TiO2 pigment in North America, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates titanium-bearing mineral sand mines; and engages in beneficiation and smelting operations. It offers TiO2 pigment; ultrafine specialty TiO2; zircon; feedstock; pig iron; monazite; titanium tetrachloride; and other products.

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