Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Siga Technologies Call Options (NASDAQ:SIGA)

Siga Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGA) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors bought 1,200 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,438% compared to the typical volume of 78 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on SIGA. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Siga Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Siga Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Siga Technologies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Siga Technologies by 5.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,655,942 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,302,000 after purchasing an additional 142,036 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Siga Technologies by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,536,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,500,000 after purchasing an additional 104,414 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Siga Technologies by 2.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,405,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,162,000 after purchasing an additional 34,514 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Siga Technologies by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,075,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,572,000 after buying an additional 41,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Siga Technologies by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,004,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,140,000 after buying an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Siga Technologies Trading Down 1.5%

Siga Technologies stock opened at $6.68 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.44. Siga Technologies has a 12 month low of $4.95 and a 12 month high of $9.62. The company has a market cap of $478.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.55 and a beta of 0.96.

About Siga Technologies

Siga Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: SIGA) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of medical countermeasures for public health emergencies and biological threats. The company’s flagship product, TPOXX® (tecovirimat), is the first and only antiviral approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of smallpox. Siga has entered into procurement and development contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Department of Defense, to supply TPOXX® for the Strategic National Stockpile.

Founded in 2002, Siga has built a pipeline of therapies targeting high-consequence pathogens such as smallpox, plague and other potential biothreat agents.