Dana Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:DAN)

Dana Incorporated (NYSE:DAN) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors bought 3,947 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 286% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,022 put options.

Dana Price Performance

DAN traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $13.22. 666,561 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,593,434. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 2.42. Dana has a one year low of $7.58 and a one year high of $16.90.

Dana (NYSE:DAN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.15. Dana had a positive return on equity of 6.70% and a negative net margin of 0.55%. The business had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Dana will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Dana Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. Dana’s dividend payout ratio is presently -102.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dana

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DAN. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in Dana by 103.6% in the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 280,798 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,246,000 after buying an additional 142,850 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Dana by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 56,818 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $657,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Dana by 118.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,702 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Dana by 484.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,695 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in Dana in the 4th quarter valued at $9,498,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DAN shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Dana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Dana from $14.00 to $20.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Dana from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $9.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Dana from $13.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Dana from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $10.00 to $16.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Dana has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.50.

Dana Company Profile

Dana Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, provides power-conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Light Vehicle Drive Systems, Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems, Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems, and Power Technologies.