Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG)

The Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 6,629 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 280% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,746 call options.

The Carlyle Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ CG opened at $46.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $49.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.43. The Carlyle Group has a 12-month low of $36.65 and a 12-month high of $57.50.

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The financial services provider reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.00 by ($0.08). The Carlyle Group had a return on equity of 24.02% and a net margin of 18.81%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Carlyle Group will post 4.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Carlyle Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. The Carlyle Group’s payout ratio is currently 50.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on The Carlyle Group from $60.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of The Carlyle Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of The Carlyle Group from $51.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wolfe Research raised The Carlyle Group from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on The Carlyle Group from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.53.

Institutional Trading of The Carlyle Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in The Carlyle Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of The Carlyle Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in The Carlyle Group by 149.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in The Carlyle Group by 253.1% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Main Street Group LTD bought a new stake in shares of The Carlyle Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 55.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The Carlyle Group Company Profile

The Carlyle Group Inc is an investment firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments. Within direct investments, it specializes in management-led/ Leveraged buyouts, privatizations, divestitures, strategic minority equity investments, structured credit, global distressed and corporate opportunities, small and middle market, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, senior debt, mezzanine and leveraged finance, and venture and growth capital financings, seed/startup, early venture, emerging growth, turnaround, mid venture, late venture, PIPES.