Investors Purchase High Volume of Call Options on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX)

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 6,158 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 593% compared to the average daily volume of 888 call options.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $8.61 on Thursday. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $4.03 and a one year high of $9.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $7.67 and its 200 day moving average is $7.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of -14.11 and a beta of 1.75.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:BCRX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07). The company had revenue of $117.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $113.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.19) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals will post -0.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BCRX. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 21.5% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,483 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the period. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals by 80.1% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 10,198 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 4,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors own 85.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BCRX. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $18.00 target price on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price target on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on BioCryst Pharmaceuticals from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of BioCryst Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.50.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops oral small-molecule and protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases. The company markets peramivir injection, an intravenous neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza under the RAPIVAB, RAPIACTA, and PERAMIFLU names; and ORLADEYO, an oral serine protease inhibitor to treat hereditary angioedema.