Siga Technologies Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:SIGA)

Siga Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SIGA) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 1,200 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,438% compared to the typical daily volume of 78 call options.

Institutional Trading of Siga Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SIGA. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in Siga Technologies by 138.4% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 114,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $626,000 after buying an additional 66,265 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Siga Technologies during the first quarter worth $165,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Siga Technologies by 57.6% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 15,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 5,712 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Siga Technologies by 5.5% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 150,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $984,000 after purchasing an additional 7,828 shares during the period. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Siga Technologies during the second quarter worth $320,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Siga Technologies Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:SIGA opened at $4.70 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $6.56. The firm has a market cap of $336.71 million, a PE ratio of 15.16 and a beta of 1.05. Siga Technologies has a 12-month low of $4.29 and a 12-month high of $9.62.

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

Siga Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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.

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.