Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on MP Materials (NYSE:MP)

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 8,137 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 83% compared to the typical volume of 4,444 call options.

MP Materials Trading Down 0.9 %

MP Materials stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $23.90. 3,867,820 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,379,124. MP Materials has a fifty-two week low of $10.02 and a fifty-two week high of $24.80. The firm's 50 day moving average is $19.66 and its 200-day moving average is $17.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 6.13 and a current ratio of 6.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.27 and a beta of 2.34.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.15) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $62.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.30 million. MP Materials had a negative net margin of 32.24% and a negative return on equity of 6.78%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.02 EPS. On average, analysts predict that MP Materials will post -0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of MP Materials from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on MP Materials from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on MP Materials from $19.50 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $22.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Ryan Corbett sold 15,195 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.30, for a total value of $278,068.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 295,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,398,884.30. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 300,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.45, for a total value of $5,535,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 18,221,776 shares in the company, valued at $336,191,767.20. This trade represents a 1.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,271,085 shares of company stock valued at $26,757,696 over the last ninety days. 12.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On MP Materials

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of MP Materials by 136.0% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,285 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of MP Materials in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of MP Materials by 205.4% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,749 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 204.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of MP Materials by 817.5% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 3,262 shares during the period. 52.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About MP Materials

MP Materials Corp., together with its subsidiaries, produces rare earth materials. The company owns and operates the Mountain Pass Rare Earth mine and processing facility in North America. It holds the mineral rights to the Mountain Pass mine and surrounding areas, as well as intellectual property rights related to the processing and development of rare earth minerals.