Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:GLDD)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ:GLDD) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors purchased 7,147 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,401% compared to the typical volume of 476 call options.

More Great Lakes Dredge & Dock News

Here are the key news stories impacting Great Lakes Dredge & Dock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Saltchuk agreed to acquire GLDD in an all-cash transaction valuing the company at roughly $1.2B equity ($1.5B total transaction) with a $17.00 per-share tender offer — a clear takeover premium driving buying interest. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to Join the Saltchuk Family of Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Media reports and market headlines show the stock jumping on the deal announcement, reinforcing momentum as investors price toward the $17 offer level. Saltchuk Acquires GLDD for $1.5B
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option buying (over 7,000 calls) indicates speculative/hedged bullish bets ahead of deal-close or related news — this can amplify intraday moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: GLDD is set to report Q4 and full-year 2025 results; analysts note strong backlog/demand for dredging but warn margins could face pressure from dry-docking costs — earnings may affect deal timing or investor sentiment. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company scheduled its Q4/2025 results release — investors will watch any commentary on backlog, margins and deal progress. Earnings Date Scheduled
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest posts in the feed show 0 shares (likely a reporting/data anomaly) and an effectively 0-day ratio — not meaningful for positioning now.
• Negative Sentiment: Several shareholder-law firms (Johnson Fistel, Halper Sadeh, Ademi, Monteverde, Wohl & Fruchter and others) launched investigations into whether the $17 offer is fair and whether the board met fiduciary duties — potential litigation or deal renegotiation could delay or alter the transaction and create downside risk. Johnson Fistel Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Noble Financial downgraded GLDD from Outperform to Market Perform — a modest analyst headwind that could temper rally if other firms follow. Noble Downgrade

Insider Activity at Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

In related news, SVP David Johanson sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.96, for a total value of $29,316.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 91,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,283,803.48. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GLDD. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,058,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the third quarter valued at approximately $696,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,227,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the second quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock by 99.2% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 494,033 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,884,000 after acquiring an additional 246,007 shares during the last quarter. 89.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. CJS Securities upgraded Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Noble Financial lowered Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.00.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Stock Performance

GLDD opened at $16.95 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has a 12 month low of $7.51 and a 12 month high of $16.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.36, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.42.

About Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ: GLDD) is a leading provider of dredging and maritime construction services in the United States. The company specializes in the excavation and removal of sediment from waterways, harbors, ports and coastal areas to maintain navigability and support commercial shipping. Its operations encompass both maintenance dredging—removing accumulated material to restore channel depth—and new work projects such as land reclamation and harbor deepening.

In addition to traditional dredging, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock offers a range of complementary marine construction services.