Inovio Pharmaceuticals Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:INO)

Key Points

• Inovio Pharmaceuticals saw unusually high options activity, with investors purchasing 11,964 call options—about 333% above its typical daily volume.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the stock carries an average “Hold” rating and a $4.25 consensus price target, while HC Wainwright reduced its target to $2.50 and Wall Street Zen downgraded the shares to “Sell.”
• INO shares rose $0.04 to $0.72, but remain well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $1.12 and $1.35; institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.79% of the company.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:INO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors bought 11,964 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 333% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,763 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Inovio Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new position in Inovio Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals by 39.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 20,781 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 5,894 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals by 752.9% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 20,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 18,160 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals by 4,396.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 16,680 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 16,309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.79% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on INO shares. HC Wainwright lowered their price target on shares of Inovio Pharmaceuticals from $3.00 to $2.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Inovio Pharmaceuticals from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Inovio Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $4.25.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of INO stock traded up $0.04 on Monday, reaching $0.72. 4,558,439 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,226,138. The company has a market cap of $58.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.50 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.35. Inovio Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $0.56 and a 1 year high of $2.98.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.30) by $0.02. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Inovio Pharmaceuticals will post -1.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Inovio Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of DNA-based immunotherapies and vaccines aimed at treating and preventing infectious diseases and cancers. The company leverages proprietary technologies to design synthetic DNA sequences that encode antigens capable of eliciting targeted immune responses. Inovio's business activities span early research through clinical development, with a primary emphasis on advancing candidates against viral pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, human papillomavirus (HPV), HIV, Ebola, Zika and other emerging threats.

Central to Inovio's platform is its SynCon® technology, which constructs optimized DNA plasmids for broad antigen coverage, and the Cellectra® electroporation device, designed to enhance cellular uptake and expression of DNA vaccines.

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