Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on WW International (NASDAQ:WW)

WW International, Inc. (NASDAQ:WW) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 17,056 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,502% compared to the typical volume of 1,065 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on WW International from $2.10 to $1.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Guggenheim reduced their price target on WW International from $12.00 to $6.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on WW International from $1.50 to $0.75 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded WW International from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $6.50 to $1.25 in a report on Friday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.50.

Insider Activity at WW International

In related news, CEO Sima Sistani acquired 65,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $0.75 per share, for a total transaction of $48,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $200,557.50. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 8.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WW International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Connectus Wealth LLC bought a new stake in WW International during the fourth quarter worth about $127,000. Barometer Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WW International by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Barometer Capital Management Inc. now owns 220,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,928,000 after acquiring an additional 31,600 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of WW International by 627.0% during the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 292,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,559,000 after acquiring an additional 252,267 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of WW International by 229.7% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 113,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 79,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in WW International by 52.1% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 47,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 16,244 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company’s stock.

WW International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WW traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $1.32. 75,838,992 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,704,343. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.36 and a beta of 1.72. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $0.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.31. WW International has a 52 week low of $0.67 and a 52 week high of $13.31.

WW International (NASDAQ:WW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $202.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $210.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.04) EPS. Research analysts predict that WW International will post -0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About WW International

WW International, Inc provides weight management products and services worldwide. It offers a range of nutritional, activity, behavioral, and lifestyle tools and approaches products and services. The company also provides various digital subscription products to wellness and weight management business, which provide interactive and personalized resources that allow users to follow its weight management program through its app and web-based platform; and allows members to inspire and support each other by sharing their experiences with other people on weight health journeys.