Investors Purchase Large Volume of Nutrien Put Options (NYSE:NTR)

Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 20,710 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 357% compared to the average daily volume of 4,536 put options.

Nutrien Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NTR stock traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $44.58. 2,958,389 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,964,006. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.80. Nutrien has a fifty-two week low of $43.87 and a fifty-two week high of $60.87. The stock's 50 day moving average is $47.48 and its 200-day moving average is $48.65.

Nutrien (NYSE:NTR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.26 billion. Nutrien had a return on equity of 6.99% and a net margin of 2.79%. Nutrien's revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 EPS. Analysts predict that Nutrien will post 3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nutrien Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.939 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.43%. This is a boost from Nutrien's previous quarterly dividend of $0.54. Nutrien's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 144.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Nutrien in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $60.00 target price on the stock. CIBC reaffirmed an "outperformer" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective (down previously from $60.00) on shares of Nutrien in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Nutrien in a research report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group lowered shares of Nutrien from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $66.00 to $51.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Nutrien from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nutrien currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $58.95.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nutrien

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTR. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its position in Nutrien by 301.0% during the 2nd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 272,669 shares of the company's stock worth $13,882,000 after acquiring an additional 204,664 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Nutrien during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in Nutrien by 1.1% in the second quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 28,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,457,000 after buying an additional 303 shares during the last quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Nutrien by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. Meixler Investment Management Ltd. now owns 6,871 shares of the company's stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 1,013 shares during the period. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich raised its position in Nutrien by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 9,069 shares of the company's stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. 63.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nutrien Company Profile

Nutrien Ltd. provides crop inputs and services. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Potash, Nitrogen, and Phosphate. The Retail segment distributes crop nutrients, crop protection products, seeds, and merchandise products. The Potash segment provides granular and standard potash products.