Zevra Therapeutics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:ZVRA)

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZVRA) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 2,300 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 100% compared to the average daily volume of 1,150 call options.

Zevra Therapeutics Stock Up 13.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:ZVRA opened at $13.66 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $10.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.42. The stock has a market cap of $807.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 0.91. Zevra Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $7.16 and a fifty-two week high of $13.80.

Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.12. Zevra Therapeutics had a net margin of 101.58% and a return on equity of 51.49%. The company had revenue of $36.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.96 million. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Zevra Therapeutics will post 0.56 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Zevra Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Zevra Therapeutics from $24.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Zevra Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Zevra Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised their target price on shares of Zevra Therapeutics from $18.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $27.67.

Trending Headlines about Zevra Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Zevra Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zevra announced Orange Book listing for a U.S. patent tied to MIPLYFFA, reinforcing exclusivity for the company’s only approved drug and potentially extending protection to 2041. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its buy rating and raised its price target to $27 from $23, signaling confidence in Zevra’s growth and valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP increased its target to $25 from $18 and maintained an outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its target to $34 from $24 with an overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the stock still has substantial upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call buying points to rising speculative interest in further gains for ZVRA.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change in shares reported short, so it does not appear to be a major driver today.
• Neutral Sentiment: A follow-up article questioned whether Zevra is using MIPLYFFA patent extensions to deepen its rare-disease moat, reflecting investor focus on the exclusivity story. Article Title

Institutional Trading of Zevra Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Zevra Therapeutics by 114.1% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 32,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 17,065 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Zevra Therapeutics by 259.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 554,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,168,000 after purchasing an additional 400,336 shares in the last quarter. AIGH Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zevra Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $11,184,000. Simplify Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Zevra Therapeutics by 137.5% during the first quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. now owns 100,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 58,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Zevra Therapeutics by 16.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 236,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,207,000 after purchasing an additional 33,951 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.03% of the company’s stock.

About Zevra Therapeutics

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc discovers and develops various proprietary prodrugs to treat serious medical conditions in the United States. The company develops its products through Ligand Activated Therapy platform. Its lead product candidate is KP1077, consisting of KP1077IH, which is under Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia, and KP1077N, which is under Phase ½ clinical trial to treat narcolepsy. The company is also developing Celiprolol, a prodrug product candidate that is under Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of vascular Ehlers Danlos syndrome.