Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Autolus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AUTL)

Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:AUTL) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Traders acquired 2,496 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 476% compared to the typical volume of 433 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Autolus Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AUTL. Independent Advisor Alliance bought a new stake in shares of Autolus Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Marex Group plc purchased a new position in Autolus Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC bought a new stake in shares of Autolus Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $43,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Autolus Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd boosted its position in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 40.1% in the third quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 30,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 8,730 shares during the period. 72.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on AUTL shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Autolus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. HC Wainwright started coverage on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $9.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Autolus Therapeutics from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Autolus Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $8.50.

Autolus Therapeutics Stock Up 3.3%

AUTL traded up $0.06 on Monday, hitting $1.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 547,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,885,199. Autolus Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $1.11 and a 12 month high of $2.70. The firm has a market cap of $459.09 million, a P/E ratio of -2.07 and a beta of 1.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.56.

About Autolus Therapeutics

Autolus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. The company leverages proprietary technologies to engineer autologous T cells that target and eradicate tumor cells, with the aim of improving safety, efficacy and durability over existing cell therapies. Its R&D platform integrates antigen receptor design, gene editing and manufacturing optimization to generate candidates tailored for specific hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications.

The company’s leading pipeline candidates include AUTO1, an optimized CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and AUTO3, a dual-targeted CD19/22 CAR-T program in development for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.