Traders Purchase Large Volume of First Majestic Silver Call Options (NYSE:AG)

First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE:AG - Get Free Report) TSE: FR was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors acquired 25,196 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 58% compared to the typical daily volume of 15,949 call options.

First Majestic Silver Stock Down 1.7 %

AG traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.58. The stock had a trading volume of 7,688,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,247,869. The company has a current ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.79 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's 50 day moving average is $5.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.19. First Majestic Silver has a one year low of $4.43 and a one year high of $8.44.

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

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First Majestic Silver Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.0057 per share. This represents a $0.02 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. This is a positive change from First Majestic Silver's previous quarterly dividend of $0.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. First Majestic Silver's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -5.71%.

Institutional Trading of First Majestic Silver

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in First Majestic Silver by 805.4% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 5,161 shares of the mining company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 4,591 shares during the last quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in shares of First Majestic Silver in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in First Majestic Silver in the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in First Majestic Silver during the 4th quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in First Majestic Silver during the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AG shares. StockNews.com upgraded First Majestic Silver from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $11.00 target price on shares of First Majestic Silver in a research report on Friday, February 21st. TD Securities raised shares of First Majestic Silver to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased 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 note on Wednesday, January 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $8.50.

About First Majestic Silver

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.