Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (NYSE:ZIM)

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (NYSE:ZIM) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 116,150 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 267% compared to the typical volume of 31,688 call options.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Stock Performance

ZIM traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $17.95. 6,359,724 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,627,156. The company has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 1.50, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $18.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.56. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has a fifty-two week low of $9.47 and a fifty-two week high of $30.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (NYSE:ZIM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 12th. The company reported $4.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.47 by $1.19. The company had revenue of $2.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.99 billion. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services had a return on equity of 48.63% and a net margin of 19.26%. As a group, analysts predict that ZIM Integrated Shipping Services will post 16.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, March 24th will be issued a $3.17 dividend. This represents a $12.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 70.63%. This is a boost from ZIM Integrated Shipping Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.81. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 24th. ZIM Integrated Shipping Services’s payout ratio is currently 6.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ZIM. Clarkson Capital raised ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $18.00 price objective on shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from $10.00 to $9.50 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective on ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from $16.00 to $13.50 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Fearnley Fonds cut ZIM Integrated Shipping Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.54.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZIM. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the third quarter valued at about $363,000. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the third quarter valued at about $2,294,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by 26.7% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 599,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,377,000 after buying an additional 126,459 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services by 4.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 860,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,079,000 after buying an additional 36,692 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services in the third quarter valued at about $548,000. 21.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About ZIM Integrated Shipping Services

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides container shipping and related services in Israel and internationally. It provides door-to-door and port-to-port transportation services for various types of customers, including end-users, consolidators, and freight forwarders.