Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Mistras Group (NYSE:MG)

Mistras Group Inc (NYSE:MG) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors purchased 2,544 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,185% compared to the average volume of 198 call options.

Mistras Group Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE MG traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $19.48. The stock had a trading volume of 93,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 182,860. The stock has a market cap of $620.37 million, a PE ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Mistras Group has a 1 year low of $9.09 and a 1 year high of $20.20. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $17.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.46.

Mistras Group (NYSE:MG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The technology company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.04. Mistras Group had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 3.65%.The company had revenue of $193.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.66 million. On average, research analysts expect that Mistras Group will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MG. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Mistras Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Mistras Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Zacks Research lowered Mistras Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Roth Capital started coverage on shares of Mistras Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $19.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Mistras Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Mistras Group by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,703,681 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $25,180,000 after purchasing an additional 35,835 shares during the period. Weber Capital Management LLC ADV bought a new position in Mistras Group in the 4th quarter worth $18,749,000. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in Mistras Group by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,421,087 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,977,000 after buying an additional 78,340 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Mistras Group during the second quarter valued at about $20,373,000. Finally, IES Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Mistras Group in the fourth quarter worth about $13,660,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.92% of the company’s stock.

About Mistras Group

Mistras Group, Inc is a global provider of technology-enabled asset protection solutions and services, with a primary focus on nondestructive testing (NDT), inspection, and monitoring of critical infrastructure and industrial assets. The company’s offerings span a wide range of techniques—such as ultrasonic testing, eddy current detection, magnetic particle inspection, radiography and acoustic emission—to help clients in energy, petrochemical, aerospace, manufacturing and other sectors identify and address potential failures before they occur.

In addition to traditional NDT services, Mistras delivers engineered materials solutions, including composite repairs and specialty coatings, along with predictive maintenance and condition monitoring programs.