Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Ramaco Resources (NASDAQ:METC)

Ramaco Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:METC) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 3,162 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 259% compared to the average daily volume of 880 call options.

Ramaco Resources Stock Performance

Shares of METC stock traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $8.50. 492,400 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 570,203. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.20 million, a PE ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.17. Ramaco Resources has a 12 month low of $7.87 and a 12 month high of $17.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $9.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.49.

Ramaco Resources (NASDAQ:METC) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The energy company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $170.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $166.59 million. Ramaco Resources had a net margin of 5.35% and a return on equity of 10.17%. Ramaco Resources’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.24 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Ramaco Resources will post 0.05 EPS for the current year.

Ramaco Resources Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0688 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Ramaco Resources’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 245.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Peter A. Leidel sold 225,000 shares of Ramaco Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.08, for a total value of $1,818,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 677,403 shares in the company, valued at $5,473,416.24. The trade was a 24.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Yorktown Energy Partners Xi, L sold 98,274 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.85, for a total transaction of $869,724.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,052,404 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,313,775.40. This trade represents a 8.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 922,582 shares of company stock valued at $7,898,023. 41.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ramaco Resources

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ramaco Resources in the fourth quarter worth approximately $540,000. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Ramaco Resources by 369.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,409 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $519,000 after buying an additional 34,954 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Ramaco Resources by 97.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 68,520 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $802,000 after buying an additional 33,788 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Ramaco Resources by 231.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 262,354 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,070,000 after buying an additional 183,163 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Ramaco Resources by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 38,017 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 3,754 shares in the last quarter. 74.49% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on METC shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ramaco Resources in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ramaco Resources from $19.00 to $13.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

About Ramaco Resources

Ramaco Resources, Inc engages in the development, operation, and sale of metallurgical coal. Its development portfolio includes the Elk Creek project that covers an area of approximately 20,200 acres located in southern West Virginia; the Berwind property covering an area of approximately 62,500 acres situated on the border of West Virginia and Virginia; the Knox Creek property, which covers an area of approximately 64,050 acres is located in Virginia; the Maben property covering an area of approximately 28,000 acres situated in southwestern Pennsylvania southern West Virginia; and the Brook Mine property that covers an area of approximately 16,000 acres located in northeastern Wyoming.