Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:GLDD)

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ:GLDD) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 7,147 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,401% compared to the typical volume of 476 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP David Johanson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.02, for a total value of $130,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 94,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,224,700.26. This represents a 9.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GLDD. Financial Management Professionals Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock by 231.4% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,474 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management grew its position in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock by 79.2% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 2,161 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 955 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock by 43.5% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 4,965 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,505 shares in the last quarter. 89.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Stock Performance

Shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock stock traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $16.93. 10,710,864 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,251,830. The business has a 50-day moving average of $14.11 and a 200-day moving average of $12.59. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has a 1 year low of $7.51 and a 1 year high of $16.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.42.

Key Headlines Impacting Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Here are the key news stories impacting Great Lakes Dredge & Dock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The company agreed to be acquired by Saltchuk in a deal valuing GLDD at about $1.2B equity and $1.5B total; Saltchuk will launch a tender offer for $17.00 per share in cash, and both boards unanimously approved the transaction — this sets a clear cash price floor near current market levels and is the primary driver lifting the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options flow: roughly 7,147 calls were bought today (≈1,401% above normal daily call volume), suggesting speculative or hedged bets that the deal will close or that a higher bidder could emerge — contributes to upside momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company scheduled its Q4 and full‑year 2025 results announcement, and analysts expect a year‑over‑year earnings decline — near‑term operational results may have less impact while the cash takeover price is in play. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms (Ademi LLP and Wohl & Fruchter LLP) announced investigations into whether the $17.00 per‑share deal provides a fair price to public shareholders, signaling potential litigation or regulatory scrutiny that could delay closing, increase transaction costs, or prompt a revised bid — this creates downside risk and volatility. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose in January (to ~2.08M shares, a 22.8% increase and ~3.1% of shares outstanding, ~2.0 days to cover), which can add pressure and volatility if shorts act ahead of deal developments; mixed short‑position data reported for February may reflect reporting quirks but keep shares sensitive to stakeholder flows.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.00.

About Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ: GLDD) is a leading provider of dredging and maritime construction services in the United States. The company specializes in the excavation and removal of sediment from waterways, harbors, ports and coastal areas to maintain navigability and support commercial shipping. Its operations encompass both maintenance dredging—removing accumulated material to restore channel depth—and new work projects such as land reclamation and harbor deepening.

In addition to traditional dredging, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock offers a range of complementary marine construction services.