BioNTech Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:BNTX)

Key Points

• BioNTech call-option volume surged 478% on Wednesday, with 8,783 calls traded versus a typical 1,519.
• Shares jumped 21% to $112.26, while analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $127.81 average price target.
• The company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, including a $2.53 adjusted loss per share and revenue down 59.5% year over year, but has authorized a $1 billion stock buyback.

BioNTech SE Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:BNTX - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 8,783 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 478% compared to the typical volume of 1,519 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BNTX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on BioNTech from $130.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of BioNTech in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on BioNTech from $126.00 to $119.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BioNTech from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of BioNTech in a research note on Monday, June 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $127.81.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BioNTech

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of BioNTech by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. EFG International AG bought a new stake in BioNTech during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in BioNTech by 520.0% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in BioNTech by 118.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 563 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Vestcor Inc bought a new position in BioNTech in the 4th quarter valued at $153,000. 15.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BioNTech Stock Up 21.0%

Shares of BioNTech stock traded up $19.51 on Wednesday, hitting $112.26. The company had a trading volume of 6,005,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,052,603. BioNTech has a 1 year low of $79.52 and a 1 year high of $124.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 7.80 and a current ratio of 7.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $91.94 and a 200-day moving average of $95.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.29 and a beta of 1.27.

BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($2.53) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.40) by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $166.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $180.18 million. BioNTech had a negative return on equity of 6.86% and a negative net margin of 63.54%.The company's quarterly revenue was down 59.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.60) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BioNTech will post -6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

BioNTech announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 7th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 4.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

About BioNTech

BioNTech SE NASDAQ: BNTX is a Germany-based biotechnology company that develops next-generation immunotherapies and vaccines, with a primary focus on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Mainz, BioNTech advances a platform approach to design and manufacture therapeutics across oncology, infectious diseases and other high unmet-need areas. The company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange and became widely known for its rapid development and global deployment of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with Pfizer.

BioNTech's core activities include discovery research, clinical development and manufacturing of mRNA-based medicines, personalized cancer immunotherapies, engineered cell therapies, and antibody- and protein-based therapeutics.

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