Traders Purchase High Volume of Gold Fields Put Options (NYSE:GFI)

Gold Fields Limited (NYSE:GFI) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 4,799 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 59% compared to the average daily volume of 3,020 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on GFI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Gold Fields from $17.10 to $18.80 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Gold Fields from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Gold Fields from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $17.95.

Gold Fields Stock Performance

NYSE:GFI traded down $0.82 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $23.74. 5,709,036 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,648,148. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.92. Gold Fields has a 12 month low of $12.98 and a 12 month high of $25.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $20.23 and a 200 day moving average of $17.01.

Gold Fields Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.3752 dividend. This is a positive change from Gold Fields’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a yield of 1.6%. Gold Fields’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gold Fields

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FCA Corp TX bought a new stake in Gold Fields in the fourth quarter worth $108,000. Net Worth Advisory Group bought a new position in Gold Fields in the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Gold Fields by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 10,304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 1,656 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Gold Fields during the 4th quarter valued at about $139,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gold Fields in the fourth quarter worth approximately $141,000. 24.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Gold Fields Company Profile

Gold Fields Limited operates as a gold producer with reserves and resources in Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Canada, Australia, and Peru. It also explores for copper and silver deposits. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Sandton, South Africa.