Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT)

Key Points

• Traders bought an unusually high volume of calls — 14,727 call options on Friday (a 63% increase vs. the average of 9,026) while ALT shares jumped about 11.3% to $5.99 on heavy trading (7.16M shares vs. avg. 5.88M).
• Insiders increased stakes: directors John Gill and Jerome Benedict Durso each bought 12,500 shares in late December at roughly $4.10 per share; insiders purchased 30,527 shares (~$125,278) in the past 90 days and now own 4.40% of the company.
• Analyst and ownership context is mixed: six analysts rate the stock Buy while two rate Sell, producing a MarketBeat consensus of Hold with a $16.60 target, and institutional investors own about 78% of shares.

Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 14,727 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 63% compared to the average volume of 9,026 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Altimmune in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $12.00 target price on shares of Altimmune in a report on Monday, October 20th. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on Altimmune from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Altimmune in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.60.

Insider Activity at Altimmune

In other Altimmune news, Director John Gill acquired 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.10 per share, for a total transaction of $51,250.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at $51,250. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jerome Benedict Durso bought 12,500 shares of Altimmune stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.13 per share, for a total transaction of $51,625.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 12,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,625. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 30,527 shares of company stock valued at $125,278 in the last ninety days. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Altimmune

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALT. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Altimmune during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Altimmune in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Altimmune by 108.5% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,095 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 5,253 shares during the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altimmune during the second quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. bought a new position in Altimmune during the second quarter worth about $43,000. 78.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altimmune Stock Up 11.3%

ALT stock traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $5.99. 7,156,435 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,877,076. The company has a quick ratio of 17.18, a current ratio of 17.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $4.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.11. Altimmune has a 52 week low of $2.90 and a 52 week high of $7.73. The company has a market cap of $624.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.58 and a beta of 0.04.

Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.29) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $0.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.00 million. Altimmune had a negative net margin of 419,575.00% and a negative return on equity of 54.79%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altimmune will post -1.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Altimmune

Altimmune, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, dedicated to the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. The company leverages proprietary technology platforms to create intranasal vaccine candidates and novel therapies targeting liver diseases and metabolic disorders. Altimmune's approach emphasizes the stimulation of both systemic and mucosal immune responses to address unmet medical needs in infectious and chronic conditions.

Among its lead programs, NasoVAX is an investigational intranasal influenza vaccine designed to provide broad, long-lasting protection through a single, non-invasive dose.

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