Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Autolus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AUTL)

Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:AUTL) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders bought 2,496 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 476% compared to the typical volume of 433 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on AUTL. Wall Street Zen downgraded Autolus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research cut Autolus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Autolus Therapeutics from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Autolus Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $8.50.

Autolus Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:AUTL opened at $1.82 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $484.37 million, a P/E ratio of -2.19 and a beta of 1.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1.55. Autolus Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $1.11 and a 12-month high of $2.70.

Institutional Trading of Autolus Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new position in shares of Autolus Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Marex Group plc acquired a new stake in Autolus Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC bought a new position in Autolus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Autolus Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd increased its position in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 30,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 8,730 shares during the period. 72.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Autolus Therapeutics

Autolus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. The company leverages proprietary technologies to engineer autologous T cells that target and eradicate tumor cells, with the aim of improving safety, efficacy and durability over existing cell therapies. Its R&D platform integrates antigen receptor design, gene editing and manufacturing optimization to generate candidates tailored for specific hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications.

The company’s leading pipeline candidates include AUTO1, an optimized CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and AUTO3, a dual-targeted CD19/22 CAR-T program in development for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.