MP Materials Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MP)

MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 5,089 call options on the company. This is an increase of 12% compared to the average volume of 4,541 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MP. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on MP Materials from $19.50 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on MP Materials from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.45.

MP Materials Trading Down 2.2 %

MP Materials stock opened at $24.44 on Tuesday. MP Materials has a 12 month low of $10.02 and a 12 month high of $26.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -41.42 and a beta of 2.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.97. The company has a current ratio of 6.93, a quick ratio of 6.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $60.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.71 million. MP Materials had a negative return on equity of 8.44% and a negative net margin of 32.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that MP Materials will post -0.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at MP Materials

In other MP Materials news, CEO James H. Litinsky sold 386,223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $9,273,214.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,643,076 shares in the company, valued at $375,590,254.76. This trade represents a 2.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 12.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On MP Materials

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MP. Aegis Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in MP Materials in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $156,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of MP Materials by 32.4% in the fourth quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 31,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 7,590 shares during the last quarter. JT Stratford LLC lifted its holdings in shares of MP Materials by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. JT Stratford LLC now owns 63,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of MP Materials by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 22,025 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP bought a new stake in MP Materials in the 4th quarter worth about $5,524,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.55% of the company’s stock.

About MP Materials

MP Materials Corp., together with its subsidiaries, produces rare earth materials. The company owns and operates the Mountain Pass Rare Earth mine and processing facility in North America. It holds the mineral rights to the Mountain Pass mine and surrounding areas, as well as intellectual property rights related to the processing and development of rare earth minerals.