Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX)

ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors acquired 15,127 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 242% compared to the average daily volume of 4,422 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on IBRX. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of ImmunityBio in a report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of ImmunityBio from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, D. Boral Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $24.00 price target on shares of ImmunityBio in a report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $11.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ImmunityBio

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of ImmunityBio by 193.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 44,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 29,297 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of ImmunityBio by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 219,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 11,573 shares in the last quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ImmunityBio by 49.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 4,964 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ImmunityBio during the 2nd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Wealth Management Partners LLC bought a new position in ImmunityBio during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. 8.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about ImmunityBio

Here are the key news stories impacting ImmunityBio this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Saudi Food and Drug Authority granted accelerated approval for ANKTIVA in combination with checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer — this is a new commercial approval in a major market that expands ANKTIVA’s label and potential revenue opportunity. Saudi FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to ImmunityBio’s ANKTIVA® In Combination with Checkpoint Inhibitors for Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Saudi FDA also approved ANKTIVA plus BCG for BCG‑unresponsive non‑muscle invasive bladder cancer with CIS — broadens approved indications and supports ongoing commercialization/partnering value. Saudi FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to ImmunityBio’s ANKTIVA® for Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer with Carcinoma In-Situ
• Positive Sentiment: Company-released data show ANKTIVA acts as a lymphocyte‑stimulating agent when combined with checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC — clinical mechanism and efficacy signals are being interpreted as supportive of broader use and label expansion. ImmunityBio Announces Positive Results Demonstrating ANKTIVA® as a Lymphocyte Stimulating Agent in Combination With Checkpoint Inhibitors in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: D. Boral Capital reaffirmed a “buy” and set a $24 price target, signaling a large upside assumption and helping sentiment among growth/biotech investors. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — a large increase in call purchases (15,127 calls) indicates bullish positioning/speculation that could amplify short‑term upward pressure on the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail and financial media picked up the story (MSN, Yahoo Finance) highlighting the stock move and DCF/valuation reassessments; this fuels volume and sentiment but doesn’t change fundamentals by itself. MSN retail attention story Why ImmunityBio Is Up 21%
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data appear inconsistent/erroneous (showing 0 shares and NaN changes). Treat the short‑interest read as unreliable until corrected — do not assume a covering squeeze based on that report.

ImmunityBio Trading Up 6.9%

IBRX stock traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $3.02. The stock had a trading volume of 30,134,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,387,790. ImmunityBio has a 52 week low of $1.83 and a 52 week high of $4.27. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.35 and a beta of 0.03.

ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $32.06 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.88 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that ImmunityBio will post -0.92 EPS for the current year.

About ImmunityBio

ImmunityBio, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases. The company’s research platform centers on harnessing the power of the human immune system—through engineered T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, cytokine superagonists and viral-vectored vaccines—to target and eliminate diseased cells across a range of indications.

Among its lead assets is Anktiva (formerly known as N-803), an interleukin-15 superagonist designed to stimulate NK and T cell activity.