Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Harmony Gold Mining Call Options (NYSE:HMY)

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (NYSE:HMY) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 2,085 call options on the company. This is an increase of 38% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,509 call options.

Harmony Gold Mining Stock Performance

Shares of Harmony Gold Mining stock opened at $12.02 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $10.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.02. Harmony Gold Mining has a 52 week low of $7.21 and a 52 week high of $12.49. The company has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a PE ratio of 7.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.85.

Harmony Gold Mining Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be given a dividend of $0.1245 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This is a positive change from Harmony Gold Mining’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.04. This represents a dividend yield of 0.9%. Harmony Gold Mining’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harmony Gold Mining

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Harmony Gold Mining by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,312,235 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $27,193,000 after buying an additional 171,282 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Harmony Gold Mining by 76.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,676,433 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $27,219,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162,292 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Harmony Gold Mining by 59.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,635,182 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $21,635,000 after purchasing an additional 982,740 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Harmony Gold Mining in the fourth quarter valued at about $20,229,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Harmony Gold Mining by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,599,913 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $13,135,000 after purchasing an additional 171,136 shares in the last quarter. 31.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HMY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Harmony Gold Mining from $8.20 to $8.40 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Harmony Gold Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Harmony Gold Mining Company Profile

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited engages in the exploration, extraction, and processing of gold. The company explores for uranium, silver, copper, and molybdenum deposits. It has eight underground operations in the Witwatersrand Basin; an open-pit mine on the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt; and various surface source operations in South Africa.