Traders Purchase High Volume of Liquidia Call Options (NASDAQ:LQDA)

Liquidia Co. (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 6,218 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 139% compared to the typical volume of 2,603 call options.

Liquidia Stock Down 4.6%

NASDAQ:LQDA traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $14.29. 3,093,138 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,382,258. Liquidia has a 12 month low of $8.26 and a 12 month high of $19.41. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of -8.77 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a fifty day moving average of $15.05 and a 200 day moving average of $14.09.

Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported ($0.45) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.23 million. Liquidia had a negative net margin of 765.38% and a negative return on equity of 163.21%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Liquidia will post -1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Liquidia in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Oppenheimer set a $13.00 price objective on Liquidia and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Liquidia from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Liquidia from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Raymond James upped their price target on Liquidia from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $26.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rajeev Saggar sold 2,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.67, for a total transaction of $33,491.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 263,152 shares in the company, valued at $3,597,287.84. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jason Adair sold 1,856 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.57, for a total value of $25,185.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 184,304 shares in the company, valued at $2,501,005.28. This represents a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,138 shares of company stock valued at $450,233 in the last quarter. Insiders own 26.50% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Liquidia

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Corebridge Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Liquidia by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Corebridge Financial Inc. now owns 31,516 shares of the company's stock valued at $371,000 after acquiring an additional 694 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Liquidia by 65.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,961 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Liquidia by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 31,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Liquidia by 7.4% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 18,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 1,283 shares during the period. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Liquidia by 6.4% in the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 25,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 1,523 shares during the period. 64.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Liquidia Company Profile

Liquidia Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes various products for unmet patient needs in the United States. Its lead product candidates include YUTREPIA, an inhaled dry powder formulation of treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).