Catalent Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:CTLT)

Catalent, Inc. (NYSE:CTLT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 5,002 put options on the company. This is an increase of 358% compared to the typical volume of 1,093 put options.

Catalent Price Performance

Shares of CTLT stock opened at $60.29 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $59.64 and its 200 day moving average is $57.31. Catalent has a 1-year low of $31.80 and a 1-year high of $61.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.96. The company has a market cap of $10.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.88, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.15.

Catalent (NYSE:CTLT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 29th. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. Catalent had a negative net margin of 22.72% and a negative return on equity of 0.56%. Research analysts predict that Catalent will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on CTLT. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Catalent in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $63.50 price objective on shares of Catalent in a research note on Tuesday. William Blair reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Catalent in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on Catalent from $47.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Baird R W downgraded Catalent from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $59.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Ricky Hopson sold 662 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.56, for a total value of $39,428.72. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,974 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,785,251.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Scott Gunther sold 666 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.55, for a total transaction of $39,660.30. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 39,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,360,264.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Ricky Hopson sold 662 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.56, for a total transaction of $39,428.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,974 shares in the company, valued at $1,785,251.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,409 shares of company stock valued at $782,923. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Catalent

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Catalent by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Catalent by 79.4% during the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Catalent by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Catalent by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 31,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,795,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Catalent by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 19,238 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter.

About Catalent

Catalent, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, develops and manufactures solutions for drugs, protein-based biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products worldwide. It operates in two segments, Biologics, and Pharma and Consumer Health. The Biologics segment provides formulation, development, and manufacturing for biologic proteins, cell gene, and other nucleic acid therapies; pDNA, iPSCs, oncolytic viruses, and vaccines; formulation, development, and manufacturing for parenteral dose forms, including vials, prefilled syringes, and cartridges; and analytical development and testing services for large molecules.