Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Xenon Pharmaceuticals Put Options (NASDAQ:XENE)

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 4,063 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 2,362% compared to the typical volume of 165 put options.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:XENE opened at $42.24 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $42.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.15. Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $26.74 and a fifty-two week high of $46.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.86 and a beta of 0.97.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.16) by $0.01. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.81) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Xenon Pharmaceuticals will post -3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

XENE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Chardan Capital upgraded shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Xenon Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $54.82.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ian Mortimer sold 40,000 shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.43, for a total value of $1,777,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $266,580. The trade was a 86.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 65,302 shares of company stock valued at $2,924,128 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Xenon Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 2,560.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 745 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 95.45% of the stock is 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.