ADT Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:ADT)

ADT Inc. (NYSE:ADT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 3,052 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 269% compared to the average volume of 827 put options.

ADT Price Performance

ADT stock traded down $0.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $7.38. 24,297,375 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,191,709. ADT has a 12 month low of $5.53 and a 12 month high of $8.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $7.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.75.

ADT (NYSE:ADT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The security and automation business reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.03. ADT had a net margin of 13.83% and a return on equity of 15.45%. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.07 earnings per share. ADT’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that ADT will post 0.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ADT Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.055 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. ADT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ADT

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in ADT in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in ADT in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in ADT in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ADT during the 3rd quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ADT during the 2nd quarter worth about $76,000. 87.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of ADT from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of ADT from $8.20 to $9.20 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

ADT Company Profile

ADT Inc provides security, interactive, and smart home solutions to residential and small business customers in the United States. It operates through two segments, Consumer and Small Business, and Solar. The company provides burglar and life safety alarms, smart security cameras, smart home automation systems, and video surveillance systems.