Ramaco Resources Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:METC)

Ramaco Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:METC - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders purchased 3,162 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 259% compared to the typical daily volume of 880 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on METC. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ramaco Resources in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ramaco Resources from $19.00 to $13.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Ramaco Resources Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:METC traded down $0.82 on Friday, reaching $6.84. 1,140,271 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 574,322. The stock has a market capitalization of $369.36 million, a PE ratio of 10.52 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The company's 50 day moving average is $9.28 and its 200-day moving average is $10.42. Ramaco Resources has a fifty-two week low of $6.51 and a fifty-two week high of $16.92.

Ramaco Resources (NASDAQ:METC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The energy company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.42 by ($0.36). The company had revenue of $170.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $166.59 million. Ramaco Resources had a net margin of 5.35% and a return on equity of 10.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ramaco Resources will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ramaco Resources Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $0.0688 per share. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. Ramaco Resources's payout ratio is 245.45%.

Insider Transactions at Ramaco Resources

In other Ramaco Resources news, Director Peter A. Leidel sold 225,000 shares of Ramaco Resources stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.08, for a total value of $1,818,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 677,403 shares in the company, valued at $5,473,416.24. The trade was a 24.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Yorktown Xi Associates Llc sold 89,501 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.09, for a total value of $724,063.09. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,024,870 shares in the company, valued at $8,291,198.30. The trade was a 8.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 922,582 shares of company stock worth $7,898,023. 41.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ramaco Resources

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ramaco Resources by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 41,656 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $427,000 after buying an additional 1,425 shares in the last quarter. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Ramaco Resources in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $154,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Ramaco Resources in the 4th quarter worth approximately $247,000. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ramaco Resources during the 4th quarter valued at $825,000. Finally, Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York purchased a new position in shares of Ramaco Resources during the 4th quarter valued at $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.49% of the company's stock.

Ramaco Resources Company Profile

Ramaco Resources, Inc engages in the development, operation, and sale of metallurgical coal. Its development portfolio includes the Elk Creek project that covers an area of approximately 20,200 acres located in southern West Virginia; the Berwind property covering an area of approximately 62,500 acres situated on the border of West Virginia and Virginia; the Knox Creek property, which covers an area of approximately 64,050 acres is located in Virginia; the Maben property covering an area of approximately 28,000 acres situated in southwestern Pennsylvania southern West Virginia; and the Brook Mine property that covers an area of approximately 16,000 acres located in northeastern Wyoming.