Cleveland-Cliffs Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CLF)

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders purchased 53,775 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 6% compared to the typical volume of 50,501 call options.

Cleveland-Cliffs Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs stock opened at $10.36 on Friday. Cleveland-Cliffs has a 52-week low of $5.63 and a 52-week high of $16.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of -3.55 and a beta of 1.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.26.

Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE:CLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 9th. The mining company reported ($0.43) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.62) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $4.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.60 billion. Cleveland-Cliffs had a negative net margin of 7.91% and a negative return on equity of 18.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.68) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Cleveland-Cliffs will post -0.79 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Cleveland-Cliffs from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. UBS Group set a $15.00 price objective on Cleveland-Cliffs in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $12.80 to $17.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs from $12.50 to $14.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in a report on Monday, February 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.89.

Cleveland-Cliffs News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Cleveland-Cliffs this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director purchase: Cleveland‑Cliffs director Edilson Camara bought 19,700 shares (~$10.13 avg), increasing his stake materially — a signal of insider confidence that can support the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~53,775 CLF calls (≈6% above average call volume), indicating short‑term bullish positioning by some market participants. (Options volume report)
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and management tone: the company narrowly beat EPS estimates and gave a constructive 2026 outlook (cost discipline, steady capex, modest shipment growth), which remains a potential upside driver if volumes/pricing recover. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and analysis pieces: several writeups examine CLF’s post‑2025 loss valuation and whether the share drop is overdone — useful for investors assessing risk/reward but not immediate catalysts. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff‑rollback reports: media reports that the administration is considering rolling back steel/aluminum tariffs hit domestic steel names (Nucor, CLF, Alcoa), pressuring prices and investor sentiment for Cleveland‑Cliffs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale: CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 3,000,000 shares (~$37.3M at ~$12.42), a significant block that likely added to downward pressure and investor concern about timing/intent. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and sentiment pressure: GLJ Research and other commentators have issued bearish takes or cut targets after the earnings/revenue miss; combined with ambiguity on the POSCO partnership, that reduced near‑term catalysts and amplified selling. Read More. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Cleveland-Cliffs news, CEO Lourenco Goncalves sold 3,000,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.42, for a total value of $37,260,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Edilson Camara purchased 19,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $10.13 per share, with a total value of $199,561.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 41,983 shares in the company, valued at $425,287.79. This represents a 88.41% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Cleveland-Cliffs

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CLF. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 4,315.6% in the third quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Cleveland-Cliffs by 117.5% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,221 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Cleveland-Cliffs by 131.3% during the 2nd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,070 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Cleveland-Cliffs by 94.0% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,505 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.68% of the company’s stock.

Cleveland-Cliffs Company Profile

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc is a leading North American producer of iron ore pellets and flat-rolled steel products. Tracing its roots to 1847, the company has evolved from an iron-ore mining concern in the Great Lakes region into a fully integrated steelmaker. Today, Cleveland-Cliffs operates iron ore mining complexes in Michigan and Minnesota as well as steelmaking and finishing facilities across the United States.

The company’s integrated platform begins with direct control of key raw materials, including iron ore and scrap, and extends through every stage of steel production.