Hallador Energy Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:HNRG)

Hallador Energy Company (NASDAQ:HNRG) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 6,448 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 302% compared to the average volume of 1,605 call options.

Hallador Energy Trading Down 7.8%

Shares of HNRG opened at $20.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Hallador Energy has a 1-year low of $8.37 and a 1-year high of $24.70. The company has a market capitalization of $901.06 million, a P/E ratio of -4.20 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.68.

Hallador Energy (NASDAQ:HNRG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 10th. The energy company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.49. Hallador Energy had a negative net margin of 46.61% and a positive return on equity of 11.58%. The firm had revenue of $146.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $110.92 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hallador Energy will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HNRG has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Hallador Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $28.00 target price on Hallador Energy in a report on Tuesday. B. Riley downgraded shares of Hallador Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $15.00 to $17.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Citigroup cut shares of Hallador Energy to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hallador Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.25.

Insider Activity

In other Hallador Energy news, Director David C. Hardie sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.53, for a total transaction of $1,953,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,072 shares in the company, valued at $411,536.16. This trade represents a 82.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles Ray Iv Wesley bought 20,000 shares of Hallador Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $15.27 per share, with a total value of $305,400.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 234,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,587,136.78. This represents a 9.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 372,062 shares of company stock worth $7,232,705. Insiders own 23.73% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hallador Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Hallador Energy by 65.7% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 88,933 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,740,000 after purchasing an additional 35,250 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc bought a new position in Hallador Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $279,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Hallador Energy by 40.8% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 56,544 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,107,000 after acquiring an additional 16,377 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hallador Energy by 29.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 118,609 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,321,000 after acquiring an additional 27,111 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hallador Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,064,000. Institutional investors own 61.38% of the company’s stock.

About Hallador Energy

Hallador Energy Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production of steam coal in the State of Indiana for the electric power generation industry. The company owns the Oaktown Mine 1 and Oaktown Mine 2 underground mines in Oaktown; Freelandville Center Pit surface mine in Freelandville; and Prosperity Surface mine in Petersburg, Indiana.