GMS Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:GMS)

GMS Inc. (NYSE:GMS) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 1,536 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 831% compared to the typical volume of 165 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GMS has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays upped their target price on GMS from $71.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group set a $80.00 price target on GMS in a report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird set a $93.00 price target on GMS in a report on Tuesday. Stephens lifted their price target on GMS from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on GMS from $94.00 to $80.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.36.

GMS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GMS opened at $100.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.82 and a beta of 1.62. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $75.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $79.17. GMS has a one year low of $65.77 and a one year high of $105.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.91 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

GMS (NYSE:GMS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, June 18th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. GMS had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 2.09%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.93 EPS. Analysts anticipate that GMS will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other GMS news, CEO John C. Turner, Jr. bought 3,650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.00 per share, for a total transaction of $255,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 66,928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,684,960. This trade represents a 5.77% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Theron I. Gilliam sold 12,474 shares of GMS stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.46, for a total value of $916,340.04. Following the sale, the director now owns 31,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,314,504.22. This trade represents a 28.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On GMS

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of GMS by 1,710.5% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 344 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of GMS during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Eukles Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of GMS during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of GMS during the 1st quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of GMS by 170.5% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 706 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.28% of the company’s stock.

GMS Company Profile

GMS Inc distributes wallboard, ceilings, steel framing and complementary construction products in the United States and Canada. The company offers ceilings products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings.