Xenon Pharmaceuticals Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:XENE)
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyXenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 4,063 put options on the company. This is an increase of 2,362% compared to the average daily volume of 165 put options.
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.1%
XENE opened at $41.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of -10.60 and a beta of 0.97. Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $26.74 and a twelve month high of $46.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.56.
Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.16) by $0.01. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.81) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xenon Pharmaceuticals will post -3.1 earnings per share for the current year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on XENE shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Chardan Capital raised shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $57.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Xenon Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $54.64.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on XENE
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, CEO Ian Mortimer sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $266,580. This represents a 86.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,302 shares of company stock worth $2,924,128. Insiders own 4.07% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 112.8% in the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.45% of the company’s stock.
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.