Suncor Energy Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SU)

Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 28,315 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 2,998% compared to the average daily volume of 914 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Suncor Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Suncor Energy by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 82,204 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,035,000 after purchasing an additional 20,081 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Suncor Energy by 1,345.8% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 468,415 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $17,309,000 after purchasing an additional 436,016 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Suncor Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,376,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Suncor Energy by 1,324.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,469,008 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $123,774,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225,543 shares during the period. Finally, DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Suncor Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $1,151,000. Institutional investors own 67.37% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Suncor Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Suncor Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.00.

Suncor Energy Price Performance

Shares of SU opened at $40.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.89 and a 200 day moving average of $38.64. Suncor Energy has a twelve month low of $32.64 and a twelve month high of $41.94.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 15.37%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Suncor Energy will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.399 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. Suncor Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.67%.

Suncor Energy Company Profile

Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products.