Siga Technologies Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SIGA)

Siga Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGA) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 1,200 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,438% compared to the average volume of 78 call options.

Siga Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Siga Technologies stock opened at $4.70 on Thursday. Siga Technologies has a 52-week low of $4.29 and a 52-week high of $9.62. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $336.71 million, a P/E ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 1.05.

Siga Technologies (NASDAQ:SIGA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The company reported ($0.08) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Siga Technologies had a net margin of 24.61% and a return on equity of 11.25%. The firm had revenue of $3.79 million during the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that Siga Technologies will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Siga Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Siga Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SIGA. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Siga Technologies by 418.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 3,349 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Siga Technologies by 34.1% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,184 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Siga Technologies by 148.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 3,005 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new position in Siga Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Siga Technologies by 116.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 3,669 shares in the last quarter. 55.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut Siga Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Sell”.

About Siga Technologies

Siga Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: SIGA) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of medical countermeasures for public health emergencies and biological threats. The company’s flagship product, TPOXX® (tecovirimat), is the first and only antiviral approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of smallpox. Siga has entered into procurement and development contracts with U.S. government agencies, including the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Department of Defense, to supply TPOXX® for the Strategic National Stockpile.

Founded in 2002, Siga has built a pipeline of therapies targeting high-consequence pathogens such as smallpox, plague and other potential biothreat agents.