Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Harmony Gold Mining Call Options (NYSE:HMY)

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (NYSE:HMY) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 5,724 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 66% compared to the average volume of 3,448 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Harmony Gold Mining during the 4th quarter worth approximately $158,000. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Harmony Gold Mining by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Burns Matteson Capital Management LLC now owns 25,019 shares of the mining company’s stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 2,083 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Harmony Gold Mining during the fourth quarter worth $17,832,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Harmony Gold Mining by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,221 shares of the mining company’s stock worth $223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,182 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Harmony Gold Mining in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.79% of the company’s stock.

Harmony Gold Mining Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HMY opened at $21.80 on Friday. Harmony Gold Mining has a 12-month low of $9.58 and a 12-month high of $22.98. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $19.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HMY shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Harmony Gold Mining from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Investec raised shares of Harmony Gold Mining to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Harmony Gold Mining in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Harmony Gold Mining from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, HSBC raised Harmony Gold Mining from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Harmony Gold Mining currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $16.00.

About Harmony Gold Mining

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited is a South Africa–based precious metals producer primarily engaged in the exploration, mining and processing of gold. The company operates a portfolio of underground and surface mining operations, targeting both reef-hosted and alluvial deposits. In addition to gold, Harmony’s activities encompass the extraction of copper as a byproduct at its Papua New Guinea operations.

In South Africa, Harmony’s mining footprint includes deep-level underground operations in the Witwatersrand Basin, where it employs a combination of conventional and mechanized mining methods.