Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD)

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPD) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 26,432 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 64% compared to the average volume of 16,163 call options.

Enterprise Products Partners Stock Performance

Enterprise Products Partners stock traded down $0.04 during trading on Monday, hitting $32.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,973,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,391,833. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $31.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $70.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.67. Enterprise Products Partners has a 1 year low of $27.37 and a 1 year high of $34.63.

Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $15.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.14 billion. Enterprise Products Partners had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 20.48%. Enterprise Products Partners’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Enterprise Products Partners will post 2.9 EPS for the current year.

Enterprise Products Partners Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.535 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.61%. Enterprise Products Partners’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Enterprise Products Partners

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Enterprise Products Partners during the first quarter worth $27,000. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Enterprise Products Partners during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in Enterprise Products Partners in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Enterprise Products Partners in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Tidemark LLC boosted its holdings in Enterprise Products Partners by 54.3% during the fourth quarter. Tidemark LLC now owns 904 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. 26.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on EPD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Enterprise Products Partners from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Enterprise Products Partners from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Enterprise Products Partners from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup cut their price target on Enterprise Products Partners from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Argus upgraded Enterprise Products Partners to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.67.

About Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. provides midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), crude oil, petrochemicals, and refined products. It operates in four segments: NGL Pipelines & Services, Crude Oil Pipelines & Services, Natural Gas Pipelines & Services, and Petrochemical & Refined Products Services.