Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Ardelyx (NASDAQ:ARDX)

Ardelyx, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARDX) saw some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 3,598 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 128% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,576 call options.

Key Headlines Impacting Ardelyx

Here are the key news stories impacting Ardelyx this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported preliminary 2025 product revenue of about $378 million and issued a bullish strategic outlook for 2026 — this is the main fundamental driver supporting the stock’s rally. Ardelyx Reports Preliminary 2025 Revenue and Provides 2026 Strategic Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded Ardelyx citing ongoing strength for Ibsrela, which boosted investor confidence and helped extend the share rally. Ardelyx extends rally as Piper Sandler upgrades on Ibsrela strength
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors bought 3,598 call options (about +128% vs. typical daily call volume), indicating short-term bullish positioning by derivatives traders.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and equity research pieces are re‑running valuation and strategy takes after the recent move — these analyses can amplify momentum but are not new company fundamentals. Assessing Ardelyx (ARDX) Valuation After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary examines shifting valuation assumptions and new Ibsrela commercial targets — useful for modelling upside but dependent on execution and duration of uptake. Why The Ardelyx ARDX Story Is Shifting On New Ibsrela Targets And Valuation Assumptions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Laura A. Williams sold 50,000 shares on Jan. 8 at an average $6.98 (~$349k), reducing her stake by ~12.15% — such disclosure can create short‑term headwinds or caution among some investors. Insider Form 4 (Laura A. Williams)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Laura A. Williams sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.98, for a total transaction of $349,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 361,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,523,709.74. This trade represents a 12.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Elizabeth A. Grammer sold 5,995 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.54, for a total value of $33,212.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 299,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,661,418.30. The trade was a 1.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 114,868 shares of company stock valued at $708,369 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ARDX. DCF Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Ardelyx in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ardelyx in the second quarter worth about $40,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Ardelyx by 147.0% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 10,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 6,102 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ardelyx in the third quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Ardelyx during the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. 58.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ardelyx Stock Up 10.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:ARDX opened at $7.74 on Friday. Ardelyx has a 1-year low of $3.21 and a 1-year high of $8.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.65 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 4.41 and a quick ratio of 4.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $5.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.50.

Ardelyx (NASDAQ:ARDX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $110.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $100.44 million. Ardelyx had a negative return on equity of 36.91% and a negative net margin of 14.20%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Ardelyx will post -0.18 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ARDX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ardelyx in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Ardelyx in a research report on Thursday. Wedbush lowered shares of Ardelyx from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Ardelyx from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ardelyx in a report on Friday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ardelyx currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $13.80.

Ardelyx Company Profile

Ardelyx, Inc (NASDAQ: ARDX) is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing targeted small molecule drugs for cardio‐renal and gastrointestinal diseases. The company’s lead marketed product, tenapanor (sold under the brand name XPHOZAH in the United States), is approved for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Ardelyx’s proprietary approach targets epithelial transporters in the gastrointestinal tract, offering localized activity with limited systemic exposure.

Beyond tenapanor, Ardelyx’s development pipeline includes treatments designed to address other complications in kidney disease and related metabolic disorders.