Investors Buy High Volume of Silence Therapeutics Call Options (NASDAQ:SLN)

Key Points

• Silence Therapeutics saw a major surge in call-option activity: Investors purchased 24,155 calls, up 4,252% from the typical volume of 555.
• SLN shares rose 1.2% to $13.88, but the company reported a quarterly loss of $0.26 per share, missing analyst expectations of a $0.14 loss.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $53.50 target price, while institutional investors own 98.73% of the stock.

Silence Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:SLN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 24,155 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 4,252% compared to the typical volume of 555 call options.

Silence Therapeutics Stock Up 1.2%

SLN stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $13.88. The company had a trading volume of 460,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 541,746. The firm has a market capitalization of $655.83 million, a PE ratio of -10.84 and a beta of 1.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.49. Silence Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $4.19 and a fifty-two week high of $17.58.

Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.14) by ($0.12). Silence Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 106.94% and a negative net margin of 8,943.86%. Research analysts predict that Silence Therapeutics will post -1.08 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Silence Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Silence Therapeutics by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 11,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Silence Therapeutics by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 252,421 shares of the company's stock worth $1,464,000 after buying an additional 2,409 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of Silence Therapeutics by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 63,247 shares of the company's stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 3,935 shares in the last quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Silence Therapeutics by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. ADAR1 Capital Management LLC now owns 23,643 shares of the company's stock worth $144,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Silence Therapeutics by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 13,653 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 5,421 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on SLN shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Silence Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Silence Therapeutics from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Silence Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Silence Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Silence Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $53.50.

Silence Therapeutics Company Profile

Silence Therapeutics plc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) therapeutics. Leveraging its proprietary EnCore lipid nanoparticle delivery platform, the company aims to silence disease-causing genes in the liver and other tissues. Silence's technology is designed to enhance targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules, with the goal of achieving durable therapeutic effects and improved safety profiles compared with traditional drug modalities.

The company's lead product candidates include SLN360, an siRNA therapeutic designed to reduce lipoprotein(a) levels for cardiovascular risk reduction, and SLN124, aimed at treating hereditary hemochromatosis and beta-thalassemia by modulating iron metabolism.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source