Sarepta Therapeutics Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SRPT)

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 6,110 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 44% compared to the typical daily volume of 4,234 call options.

Sarepta Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics stock traded up $5.32 on Wednesday, hitting $22.93. 12,270,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,842,179. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.42. Sarepta Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $10.41 and a 1-year high of $74.40.

Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The biotechnology company reported ($3.58) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by ($2.71). The company had revenue of $442.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.95 million. Sarepta Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 50.74% and a negative net margin of 38.34%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 32.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sarepta Therapeutics will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on SRPT. Loop Capital set a $25.00 target price on shares of Sarepta Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Sarepta Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wedbush cut their price objective on Sarepta Therapeutics from $34.00 to $29.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Sarepta Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Sarepta Therapeutics from $45.00 to $38.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.15.

Sarepta Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Sarepta Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: First clinical siRNA data: Phase 1/2 results showed dose?dependent muscle exposure, early biomarker effects and no dose?limiting toxicity for SRP?1001 and SRP?1003 — the core reason shares jumped. Sarepta Announces First Clinical Data from siRNA Pipeline (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Targeted delivery platform validated: company highlighted its ?v?6 integrin?targeted delivery achieving high muscle concentrations — a technical milestone that increases the programs’ therapeutic plausibility. Proactive Investors coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Options and volume spike: unusually large call buying (about 6,110 calls, ~44% above typical daily call volume) and multi?million share volume indicate speculative positioning and short?term momentum traders piling in.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company webcast/presentation: management hosted a webcast to present the data, which increases transparency but leaves questions about longer?term efficacy and pivotal plans. Yahoo Finance coverage of webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market tone: lower volatility and risk?on flows today likely amplified biotech rallies, helping the headline reaction to Sarepta’s news. Market VIX note
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst caution: some analysts remain split — bullish on the siRNA potential but cautious on near?term valuation and execution given Sarepta’s recent earnings volatility and prior EPS misses. Benzinga analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Clinical, regulatory and commercial risks remain: Phase 1/2 is early stage — durability, meaningful clinical benefit, dose optimization, safety in larger cohorts and regulatory path/timing are unresolved; the company also reported a prior big EPS miss and negative margins.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Stephen Mayo sold 7,239 shares of Sarepta Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.02, for a total value of $123,207.78. Following the sale, the director owned 1,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,040.30. This trade represents a 80.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sarepta Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SRPT. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sarepta Therapeutics by 454.6% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,796,535 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $167,781,000 after purchasing an additional 6,390,860 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sarepta Therapeutics by 18.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,817,446 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $208,452,000 after buying an additional 1,657,267 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Sarepta Therapeutics by 209.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,939,781 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,380,000 after buying an additional 1,312,220 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in Sarepta Therapeutics by 183.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,745,051 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $33,627,000 after buying an additional 1,129,610 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Sarepta Therapeutics by 65.7% during the third quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,685,945 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $50,588,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064,530 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.68% of the company’s stock.

About Sarepta Therapeutics

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of precision genetic medicines for rare neuromuscular diseases. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sarepta’s core expertise lies in designing RNA-targeted therapies and gene therapies that address underlying genetic mutations. The company’s mission is to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and related disorders through innovative modalities.

Sarepta’s commercial products include several exon-skipping therapies approved by the U.S.