Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Put Options on Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA)

Key Points

• Put-option activity more than doubled: Traders purchased 6,717 put options on Zevra Therapeutics, about 111% above the typical daily volume, while the stock fell 1.6% to $11.14.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Nine analysts rate ZVRA a Buy and one rates it Hold, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $27.14.
• Recent results exceeded expectations: Zevra reported quarterly EPS of $0.25 versus the $0.11 consensus and revenue of $39.66 million versus estimates of $33.88 million.

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZVRA - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 6,717 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 111% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,177 put options.

Zevra Therapeutics Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ:ZVRA traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.14. The company had a trading volume of 40,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,271,976. Zevra Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $8.01 and a 12-month high of $15.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $661.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.95. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $11.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.28.

Zevra Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ZVRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.14. Zevra Therapeutics had a return on equity of 54.54% and a net margin of 42.82%.The company had revenue of $39.66 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.88 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Zevra Therapeutics will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ZVRA has been the subject of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted 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, June 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Zevra Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Zevra Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Zevra Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of Zevra Therapeutics from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Zevra Therapeutics news, Director Corey Watton sold 12,300 shares of Zevra Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.25, for a total transaction of $138,375.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,800 shares in the company, valued at $20,250. This trade represents a 87.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zevra Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Zevra Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $150,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its stake in Zevra Therapeutics by 49.0% during the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 24,335 shares of the company's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 8,001 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Zevra Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Zevra Therapeutics by 5.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 164,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,359,000 after purchasing an additional 8,121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Globeflex Capital L P purchased a new position in Zevra Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,752,000. 35.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Zevra Therapeutics

Zevra Therapeutics, Inc is a rare-disease biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for conditions with significant unmet medical needs. The company combines data science, patient-focused drug development and traditional pharmaceutical research to advance therapies for rare metabolic and neurological disorders.

Zevra's lead commercial product is MIPLYFFA (arimoclomol), which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved in 2024 for the treatment of Niemann-Pick disease type C in adults and children at least 2 years old, in combination with miglustat.

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