Traders Purchase High Volume of Global Net Lease Call Options (NYSE:GNL)

Global Net Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GNL) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 23,535 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 3,993% compared to the average daily volume of 575 call options.

Global Net Lease Price Performance

NYSE:GNL opened at $7.48 on Friday. Global Net Lease has a 12 month low of $6.51 and a 12 month high of $9.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.05 and a beta of 1.22.

Global Net Lease (NYSE:GNL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.23 by $0.06. Global Net Lease had a negative return on equity of 9.23% and a negative net margin of 40.64%. The company had revenue of $132.42 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.40 million. On average, analysts expect that Global Net Lease will post 1.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Global Net Lease Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th were paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. Global Net Lease’s payout ratio is currently -51.35%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $9.00 price target on shares of Global Net Lease in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. B. Riley initiated coverage on Global Net Lease in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $8.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $9.00.

Insider Transactions at Global Net Lease

In related news, insider Nicholas S. Schorsch sold 300,000 shares of Global Net Lease stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.33, for a total value of $2,199,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 19,607,384 shares in the company, valued at $143,722,124.72. The trade was a 1.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,703,000 shares of company stock worth $57,363,290. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Global Net Lease

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GNL. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Global Net Lease in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Global Net Lease during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Global Net Lease during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Global Net Lease by 363.2% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 6,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 4,761 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Global Net Lease by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 6,659 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 3,624 shares during the last quarter. 61.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Global Net Lease Company Profile

Global Net Lease, Inc (NYSE: GNL) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust listed on the NYSE. The firm focused on acquiring a diversified global portfolio of commercial properties, with an emphasis on sale-leaseback transactions involving single tenant, mission critical income producing net-leased assets across the United States, Western and Northern Europe.