First Majestic Silver Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG) (TSE:FR) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 27,373 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 100% compared to the typical volume of 13,664 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AG. StockNews.com upgraded shares of First Majestic Silver from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $11.00 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of First Majestic Silver from $6.50 to $6.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Majestic Silver

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in First Majestic Silver by 135.2% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 13,596,866 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $74,647,000 after purchasing an additional 7,816,177 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in First Majestic Silver by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,423,691 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $62,784,000 after buying an additional 598,996 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 46.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 4,455,923 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $24,463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,420,937 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in First Majestic Silver by 897.8% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,759,181 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $20,638,000 after acquiring an additional 3,382,443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in First Majestic Silver by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,472,159 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $19,060,000 after acquiring an additional 121,892 shares in the last quarter. 27.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

First Majestic Silver Price Performance

First Majestic Silver stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $5.76. 13,419,005 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,316,182. First Majestic Silver has a 1-year low of $4.43 and a 1-year high of $8.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business has a fifty day moving average of $5.65 and a 200 day moving average of $6.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of -16.41 and a beta of 1.24.

First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG) (TSE:FR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The mining company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $172.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $227.77 million. First Majestic Silver had a negative return on equity of 3.07% and a negative net margin of 18.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Majestic Silver will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

First Majestic Silver Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $0.0057 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. This is a boost from First Majestic Silver’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. First Majestic Silver’s payout ratio is -5.71%.

First Majestic Silver Company Profile

First Majestic Silver Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of mineral properties with a focus on silver and gold production in North America. Its projects include the San Dimas mine covering an area of approximately 71,867 hectares located in Durango State, Mexico; the Santa Elena that covers an area of approximately 102,244 hectares located in Sonora State, México; and the La Encantada covering an area of approximately 4,076 hectares located in Coahuila State, México.