Xenon Pharmaceuticals Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:XENE)

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 4,063 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,362% compared to the typical daily volume of 165 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on XENE shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $54.82.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of XENE stock opened at $40.39 on Friday. Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $26.74 and a 12 month high of $46.60. The firm has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a PE ratio of -10.38 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.85 and a 200-day moving average of $39.82.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.01. The firm’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.81) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Xenon Pharmaceuticals will post -3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Xenon Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Ian Mortimer sold 40,000 shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.43, for a total value of $1,777,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,000 shares in the company, valued at $266,580. The trade was a 86.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 65,302 shares of company stock worth $2,924,128 over the last 90 days. 4.07% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in XENE. DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 272,831 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,228,000 after acquiring an additional 23,750 shares in the last quarter. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. increased its position in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 43.1% during the fourth quarter. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. now owns 226,965 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,173,000 after purchasing an additional 68,360 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,292,055 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $57,910,000 after purchasing an additional 156,820 shares during the period. Finally, Peregrine Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $7,837,000. 95.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel, small‐molecule drugs targeting ion channels in the central and peripheral nervous system. The company’s research focus centers on neurological and pain disorders—including epilepsy, migraine, and neuropathic pain—by modulating key ion‐channel proteins to restore normal neuronal function. Xenon’s scientific platform draws upon advances in ion‐channel biology and structure‐based drug design to identify and optimize therapeutic candidates with the potential for improved safety and efficacy profiles compared with existing treatments.

The company’s pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical programs.