ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:ZIM)

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE:ZIM) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 457,853 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 2,372% compared to the average daily volume of 18,522 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ZIM Integrated Shipping Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fifth Lane Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $542,000. Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. increased its position in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by 96.7% during the 3rd quarter. Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. now owns 2,422,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,831,000 after purchasing an additional 1,191,480 shares in the last quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,075,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $570,000. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC purchased a new position in ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $854,000. 21.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Stock Performance

NYSE:ZIM opened at $26.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of 6.78 and a beta of 1.57. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $19.42. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has a 1-year low of $11.03 and a 1-year high of $29.97.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (NYSE:ZIM) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The company reported ($0.58) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.01) by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 9.33%. On average, equities analysts expect that ZIM Integrated Shipping Services will post 16.75 EPS for the current year.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.88 per share. This represents a $3.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.0%. This is a positive change from ZIM Integrated Shipping Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services’s payout ratio is 1.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ZIM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from $13.70 to $15.80 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup upgraded shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $11.50 to $31.80 in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Fearnley Fonds raised shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $17.48.

About ZIM Integrated Shipping Services

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE: ZIM) is a global container shipping company specializing in the transportation of dry cargo, refrigerated goods and special project cargo. The company operates a modern fleet of container vessels that call at major ports worldwide, offering scheduled liner services and tailored logistics solutions to exporters, importers and freight forwarders.

Founded in 1945 in Haifa, Israel, ZIM has grown from a regional carrier into a worldwide operator through a series of strategic partnerships, fleet expansions and network enhancements.