Altimmune Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:ALT)

Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders bought 14,727 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 63% compared to the typical daily volume of 9,026 call options.

Altimmune Price Performance

ALT opened at $5.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $573.87 million, a P/E ratio of -5.14 and a beta of 0.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $4.57 and a 200-day moving average of $4.11. The company has a quick ratio of 17.18, a current ratio of 17.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Altimmune has a 12-month low of $2.90 and a 12-month high of $7.73.

Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $0.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.00 million. Altimmune had a negative return on equity of 54.79% and a negative net margin of 419,575.00%. Equities analysts forecast that Altimmune will post -1.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective on shares of Altimmune in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on Altimmune from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Altimmune in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Altimmune in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altimmune currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altimmune

In related news, Director John Gill acquired 12,500 shares of Altimmune stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.10 per share, with a total value of $51,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,250. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jerome Benedict Durso bought 12,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $4.13 per share, with a total value of $51,625.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at $51,625. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 30,527 shares of company stock worth $125,278 in the last ninety days. 4.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Altimmune by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 48,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 2,241 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Altimmune during the first quarter valued at $50,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Altimmune by 70.5% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 24,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 10,264 shares during the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new position in Altimmune in the second quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Altimmune in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. 78.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altimmune Company Profile

Altimmune, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, dedicated to the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. The company leverages proprietary technology platforms to create intranasal vaccine candidates and novel therapies targeting liver diseases and metabolic disorders. Altimmune’s approach emphasizes the stimulation of both systemic and mucosal immune responses to address unmet medical needs in infectious and chronic conditions.

Among its lead programs, NasoVAX is an investigational intranasal influenza vaccine designed to provide broad, long-lasting protection through a single, non-invasive dose.