Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS)

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 5,605 call options on the company. This is an increase of 753% compared to the typical volume of 657 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABUS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Arbutus Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Chardan Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $5.00 price objective on shares of Arbutus Biopharma in a report on Friday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arbutus Biopharma

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Voleon Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. Oxford Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Arbutus Biopharma in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 3,485.6% during the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 14,163 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 13,768 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arbutus Biopharma by 3,911.1% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 15,844 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 15,449 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in Arbutus Biopharma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,000. 43.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arbutus Biopharma Stock Up 2.3%

ABUS traded up $0.10 on Tuesday, reaching $4.18. The company had a trading volume of 148,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,531,490. Arbutus Biopharma has a 1 year low of $2.70 and a 1 year high of $5.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $802.94 million, a PE ratio of -18.11 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $4.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.18.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $0.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.31 million. Arbutus Biopharma had a negative return on equity of 50.26% and a negative net margin of 289.79%. As a group, analysts expect that Arbutus Biopharma will post -0.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arbutus Biopharma Company Profile

Arbutus Biopharma Corporation is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and advancing a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The company’s pipeline features both direct-acting antivirals and host-targeting therapies designed to reduce viral load and restore immune function. Lead programs include an RNA interference (RNAi) candidate aimed at silencing viral gene expression and next-generation capsid assembly modulators that seek to inhibit viral replication at its core.

In addition to its antiviral portfolio, Arbutus leverages proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology to optimize the distribution and cellular uptake of nucleic acid therapeutics.