Brookfield Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BN)

Brookfield Corporation (NYSE:BN) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 7,287 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 340% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,655 call options.

Institutional Trading of Brookfield

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BN. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Brookfield by 147.5% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 11,069 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brookfield by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Brookfield by 32.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in Brookfield by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 18,949 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,172,000 after purchasing an additional 1,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in Brookfield by 114.0% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 8,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 4,753 shares during the period. 61.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Brookfield Trading Up 0.6%

BN stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $48.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,756,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,331,946. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $119.12 billion, a PE ratio of 97.50 and a beta of 1.57. Brookfield has a 12-month low of $29.07 and a 12-month high of $49.56.

Brookfield (NYSE:BN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.63 billion. Brookfield had a return on equity of 3.87% and a net margin of 1.74%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Brookfield will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brookfield Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Brookfield’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Brookfield’s payout ratio is presently 48.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on BN shares. Zacks Research upgraded Brookfield from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Brookfield from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Brookfield in a report on Monday, December 29th. National Bank Financial raised their price target on Brookfield from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up from $49.00) on shares of Brookfield in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Brookfield has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.59.

Brookfield Company Profile

Brookfield Corporation (NYSE:BN) is a global alternative asset manager that specializes in real assets. The company invests in and operates businesses across real estate, infrastructure, renewable power and energy, private equity and credit. Its activities span both ownership and active management of physical assets as well as the operation of investment funds and vehicles that provide institutional and retail investors access to long‑lived, cash‑generating assets.

Brookfield’s services include asset management, direct investing, property development and the operation of infrastructure and energy businesses.