Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Brookfield Asset Management Put Options (NYSE:BAM)

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. (NYSE:BAM) (TSE:BAM.A) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders purchased 3,530 put options on the company. This is an increase of 155% compared to the typical volume of 1,382 put options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 241.3% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Brookfield Asset Management by 559.5% in the second quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management in the second quarter worth $39,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new position in shares of Brookfield Asset Management during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BAM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Brookfield Asset Management from $67.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group set a $52.00 price target on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Brookfield Asset Management from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Brookfield Asset Management presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.65.

Brookfield Asset Management Price Performance

Shares of BAM stock opened at $43.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $71.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.75, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.42. Brookfield Asset Management has a 12 month low of $41.78 and a 12 month high of $64.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $49.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.16.

Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM) (TSE:BAM.A) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. Brookfield Asset Management had a net margin of 51.59% and a return on equity of 29.81%. Research analysts expect that Brookfield Asset Management will post 1.7 EPS for the current year.

Brookfield Asset Management Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.5025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $2.01 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.6%. This is a boost from Brookfield Asset Management’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Brookfield Asset Management’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 132.24%.

About Brookfield Asset Management

Brookfield Asset Management is a global alternative asset manager headquartered in Toronto, Canada, that specializes in investments in real assets and related private equity and credit strategies. The firm acquires, manages and develops assets in sectors such as real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and private equity, seeking long-term value through active asset management and operational improvements. Brookfield structures and manages commingled funds, listed partnerships and separate accounts for institutional and retail investors.

The company’s products and services include fund management across equity and debt strategies, direct asset ownership and operations, property and facilities management, and capital markets solutions.