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

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Siga Technologies

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SIGA. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Siga Technologies by 418.1% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 3,349 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,184 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its stake in Siga Technologies by 148.6% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 3,005 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Siga Technologies in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Siga Technologies by 116.6% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 3,669 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Siga Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SIGA opened at $5.17 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $6.13 and its 200-day moving average is $6.85. The company has a market cap of $370.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.05. Siga Technologies has a 52-week low of $4.81 and a 52-week high of $9.62.

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

Siga Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 23rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised Siga Technologies from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.