Traders Buy High Volume of DHT Call Options (NYSE:DHT)

DHT Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DHT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders acquired 2,590 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 54% compared to the average daily volume of 1,685 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of DHT from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $9.70 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on DHT from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, DHT presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $12.68.

DHT Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE DHT traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.82. 370,209 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,745,300. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.68 and a beta of -0.38. DHT has a 52-week low of $8.67 and a 52-week high of $12.80.

DHT (NYSE:DHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The shipping company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.12. DHT had a return on equity of 17.42% and a net margin of 31.72%. Equities research analysts expect that DHT will post 0.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

DHT Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.29%. DHT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.71%.

Institutional Trading of DHT

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DHT. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in DHT by 84.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,771 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of DHT during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in shares of DHT during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of DHT by 822.2% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 4,325 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 3,856 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in DHT in the third quarter valued at $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.53% of the company’s stock.

About DHT

DHT Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates crude oil tankers primarily in Monaco, Singapore, and Norway. The company also offers technical management services. As of March 15, 2024, it had a fleet of 24 very large crude carriers. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.