Carlyle Group Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:CG)

Carlyle Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CG) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 244,037 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 5,032% compared to the average daily volume of 4,755 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carlyle Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Carlyle Group by 937.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,499,000 after buying an additional 51,809 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Carlyle Group by 40.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,144,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,909,000 after acquiring an additional 332,533 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Carlyle Group by 3.4% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,237 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Carlyle Group by 27.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,434 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Carlyle Group by 755.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.88% of the company’s stock.

Carlyle Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CG traded up $1.73 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $50.64. The stock had a trading volume of 6,044,040 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,331,506. The stock has a market cap of $18.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.84. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 2.55. Carlyle Group has a 12-month low of $39.60 and a 12-month high of $69.85.

Carlyle Group (NASDAQ:CG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The financial services provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by ($0.02). Carlyle Group had a net margin of 13.46% and a return on equity of 20.95%. The firm had revenue of $750.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Carlyle Group will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Carlyle Group from $81.00 to $69.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on shares of Carlyle Group in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Carlyle Group from $63.00 to $57.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Carlyle Group from $58.00 to $56.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Cfra lowered Carlyle Group to a “sell” rating and set a $45.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, May 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.07.

Carlyle Group Company Profile

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager that invests across a range of strategies including private equity, real assets (such as real estate and infrastructure), global credit, and investment solutions. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Washington, DC, Carlyle raises and manages investment funds that acquire, operate and exit companies and assets on behalf of institutional and private investors. The firm is publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange and operates as an asset manager and investment advisor rather than as an operating company.

Carlyle’s core activities include sourcing and executing private equity buyouts and growth investments, originating and managing credit and financing solutions, and acquiring and operating real asset portfolios.