Intuitive Machines Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:LUNR)

Key Points

• Investors purchased a significant volume of 33,227 call options for Intuitive Machines, marking a 47% increase from the average daily volume of 22,633 options.
• Institutional ownership for Intuitive Machines now stands at 72.21%, with notable investments from firms like Gotham Asset Management and ARK Investment Management.
• The company reported a loss of $0.11 per share in its latest earnings, missing expectations, with revenues of $50.31 million compared to a forecast of $69.19 million.

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors acquired 33,227 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 47% compared to the average volume of 22,633 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LUNR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Intuitive Machines in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Craig Hallum began coverage on shares of Intuitive Machines in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of Intuitive Machines to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Intuitive Machines in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on shares of Intuitive Machines from $19.00 to $18.50 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Intuitive Machines currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $15.44.

Intuitive Machines Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LUNR traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $9.71. 8,289,040 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,920,428. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.71. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of -3.00 and a beta of 1.38. Intuitive Machines has a 12 month low of $6.14 and a 12 month high of $24.95.

Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.06) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $50.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.19 million. Intuitive Machines has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Intuitive Machines will post 0.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 40,254 shares of Intuitive Machines stock in a transaction on Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.49, for a total transaction of $543,026.46. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,494,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,144,420.32. The trade was a 1.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 161,016 shares of company stock valued at $1,997,001 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 39.75% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Intuitive Machines by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,421,279 shares of the company's stock worth $32,939,000 after purchasing an additional 373,741 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Intuitive Machines by 78.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,593,135 shares of the company's stock worth $28,191,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141,454 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Intuitive Machines by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,261,946 shares of the company's stock worth $24,587,000 after purchasing an additional 72,422 shares in the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Intuitive Machines in the 1st quarter worth about $15,739,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in Intuitive Machines in the 4th quarter worth about $33,255,000. 72.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intuitive Machines Company Profile

Intuitive Machines, Inc designs, manufactures, and operates space products and services in the United States. Its space systems and space infrastructure enable scientific and human exploration and utilization of lunar resources to support sustainable human presence on the moon. The company offers lunar access services, such µNova, lunar surface rover services, fixed lunar surface services, lunar orbit delivery services, rideshare delivery services to lunar orbit, as well as content sales and marketing sponsorships; and orbital services, including satellite delivery and rideshare, satellite servicing and refueling, space station servicing, satellite repositioning, and orbital debris removal.