TAL Education Group Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:TAL)

TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 22,367 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 728% compared to the average daily volume of 2,700 call options.

TAL Education Group Stock Performance

Shares of TAL traded up $1.03 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $11.83. The stock had a trading volume of 40,152,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,844,325. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $8.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.59. The firm has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,176.00 and a beta of 0.02. TAL Education Group has a 12-month low of $7.34 and a 12-month high of $15.52.

TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by $0.08. TAL Education Group had a return on equity of 1.46% and a net margin of 3.24%. The firm had revenue of $414.19 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $392.39 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.07) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that TAL Education Group will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on TAL shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on TAL Education Group from $21.30 to $13.40 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com upgraded TAL Education Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $13.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TAL Education Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of TAL Education Group by 8.3% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 4,209,800 shares of the company's stock worth $44,919,000 after acquiring an additional 321,000 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of TAL Education Group during the second quarter worth approximately $17,476,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of TAL Education Group in the second quarter worth $1,407,000. SIH Partners LLLP acquired a new stake in TAL Education Group in the second quarter valued at $313,000. Finally, Scientech Research LLC bought a new position in shares of TAL Education Group during the second quarter worth about $834,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.79% of the company's stock.

About TAL Education Group

TAL Education Group provides K-12 after-school tutoring services in the People's Republic of China. It provides learning services primarily through small-classes services; personalized premium services; and learning content solutions, such as print books, smart books, mobile apps, and AI-driven learning devices.