Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Siga Technologies (NASDAQ:SIGA)

Siga Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGA) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 1,200 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 1,438% compared to the typical volume of 78 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Siga Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SIGA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Siga Technologies by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,655,942 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,302,000 after acquiring an additional 142,036 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Siga Technologies by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,536,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,500,000 after purchasing an additional 104,414 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Siga Technologies by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,405,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,162,000 after purchasing an additional 34,514 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Siga Technologies by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,075,570 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,572,000 after purchasing an additional 41,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Siga Technologies by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,004,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,140,000 after purchasing an additional 6,512 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Siga Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SIGA opened at $6.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $7.44. Siga Technologies has a one year low of $4.95 and a one year high of $9.62. The firm has a market cap of $484.80 million, a PE ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Siga Technologies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Siga Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Siga Technologies presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Siga Technologies Company Profile

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.