ImmunityBio Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:IBRX)

ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX) saw some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors purchased 26,656 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 44% compared to the typical volume of 18,485 call options.

Key ImmunityBio News

Here are the key news stories impacting ImmunityBio this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA expands ANKTIVA’s label: The FDA approved ANKTIVA in combination with BCG for patients with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with papillary-only tumors, in addition to the previously covered carcinoma-in-situ population. The broader label significantly increases the drug’s addressable market and commercial potential. FDA Expands ANKTIVA Approval article
• Positive Sentiment: Durable Phase 2/3 results support ANKTIVA: Long-term QUILT-3.032 data showed a 71% complete response rate in 100 patients, median response duration of 26.6 months, and responses lasting beyond 53 months. Among responding patients, three-year cystectomy-free survival was 84%, suggesting many may avoid bladder-removal surgery. ImmunityBio Phase 3 data article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: HC Wainwright reaffirmed its Buy rating and raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $0.10 from $0.07, while maintaining a $15 price target. Jefferies also reportedly lifted its target to $14, indicating analysts see additional upside if ANKTIVA adoption accelerates.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity turned unusually active: Traders purchased 26,656 call options, approximately 44% above average volume. This may reflect increased bullish speculation, but it does not guarantee sustained buying in the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious despite the clinical breakthrough: IBRX declined as traders appeared to take profits following the FDA-related rally and evaluate whether the expanded approval and strong data can translate into rapid sales growth. The company remains loss-making, and its latest reported quarter missed the consensus EPS estimate.

Insider Transactions at ImmunityBio

In related news, Director Cheryl Cohen sold 81,056 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.50, for a total transaction of $851,088.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 100,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,053,244.50. This trade represents a 44.69% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Barry J. Simon sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.75, for a total transaction of $268,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,777,788 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,861,221. This represents a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 66.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ImmunityBio

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IBRX. Doliver Advisors LP increased its position in ImmunityBio by 110.0% during the 3rd quarter. Doliver Advisors LP now owns 210,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,982,000 after purchasing an additional 110,000 shares in the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in ImmunityBio in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,287,000. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in ImmunityBio in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,207,000. SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in ImmunityBio in the first quarter valued at approximately $18,770,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of ImmunityBio by 29.4% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 34,083,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,399,000 after buying an additional 7,736,819 shares during the last quarter. 8.58% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IBRX shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on ImmunityBio from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of ImmunityBio in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of ImmunityBio in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of ImmunityBio in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.00.

ImmunityBio Price Performance

Shares of IBRX stock traded down $0.82 on Friday, hitting $9.18. 21,482,898 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,888,480. ImmunityBio has a 12 month low of $1.95 and a 12 month high of $12.43. The stock has a market cap of $9.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.46 and a beta of 0.02. The company has a 50 day moving average of $8.57 and a 200 day moving average of $7.96.

ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $51.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.70 million. Sell-side analysts predict that ImmunityBio will post -0.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About ImmunityBio

ImmunityBio, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing immunotherapies designed to activate and strengthen the body’s immune system against cancer and infectious diseases. The company combines cytokine-based therapies, vaccines, cellular therapies and other immune-modulating technologies in an effort to create durable treatment responses.

Its lead product, ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), is an interleukin-15 receptor agonist immune stimulator.