Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Dominion Energy (NYSE:D)

Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 6,034 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 113% compared to the typical volume of 2,828 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded shares of Dominion Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Dominion Energy from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Dominion Energy from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group raised their target price on Dominion Energy from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Dominion Energy from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $57.58.

Dominion Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

Dominion Energy stock opened at $53.84 on Thursday. Dominion Energy has a fifty-two week low of $46.62 and a fifty-two week high of $61.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $55.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $45.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.59.

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The utilities provider reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.04. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 16.22% and a return on equity of 8.99%. Research analysts predict that Dominion Energy will post 3.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Dominion Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.6675 dividend. This represents a $2.67 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Dominion Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 98.89%.

Institutional Trading of Dominion Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Dominion Energy by 450.0% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 462 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Dominion Energy by 175.4% in the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in Dominion Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Dominion Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Dominion Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.04% of the company’s stock.

About Dominion Energy

Dominion Energy, Inc produces and distributes energy in the United States. It operates through three operating segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Dominion Energy South Carolina, and Contracted Energy. The Dominion Energy Virginia segment generates, transmits, and distributes regulated electricity to approximately 2.8 million residential, commercial, industrial, and governmental customers in Virginia and North Carolina.