Franco-Nevada Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:FNV)

Franco-Nevada Co. (NYSE:FNV - Get Rating) (TSE:FNV) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 3,538 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 282% compared to the average volume of 926 call options.

Franco-Nevada Stock Performance

FNV traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $136.37. The stock had a trading volume of 31,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 687,632. The company has a market cap of $26.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.32 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $135.71 and a 200 day moving average of $129.87. Franco-Nevada has a 1 year low of $109.70 and a 1 year high of $169.32.

Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV - Get Rating) (TSE:FNV) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $304.20 million during the quarter. Franco-Nevada had a return on equity of 11.27% and a net margin of 57.18%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Franco-Nevada will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Franco-Nevada Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 8th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 7th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. Franco-Nevada's payout ratio is currently 32.41%.

Institutional Trading of Franco-Nevada

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Franco-Nevada in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Franco-Nevada in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Franco-Nevada in the first quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new stake in Franco-Nevada in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of Franco-Nevada by 35.7% during the second quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 361 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 66.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FNV has been the topic of several analyst reports. National Bank Financial decreased their price target on Franco-Nevada from C$205.00 to C$190.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Franco-Nevada in a research report on Monday, September 12th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on Franco-Nevada in a report on Wednesday, October 12th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Franco-Nevada from $112.00 to $111.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $167.38.

About Franco-Nevada

Franco-Nevada Corporation operates as a gold-focused royalty and streaming company in Latin America, the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Mining and Energy. The company manages its portfolio with a focus on precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals; and energy comprising oil, gas, and natural gas liquids.

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