Iovance Biotherapeutics Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:IOVA)

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:IOVA) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 27,681 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 364% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,961 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Iovance Biotherapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Iovance Biotherapeutics by 115.2% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 856,569 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after purchasing an additional 458,540 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in Iovance Biotherapeutics in the third quarter worth $1,118,000. Voss Capital LP purchased a new position in Iovance Biotherapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,157,000. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics by 326.5% during the second quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 192,378 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 147,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC bought a new position in Iovance Biotherapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $1,056,000. 77.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Iovance Biotherapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Iovance Biotherapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat: Iovance reported Q4 GAAP loss of $0.18/share vs. consensus -$0.22 and revenue of $86.8M vs. $81.6M, a near-term commercial execution signal that likely lifted sentiment. Iovance Biotherapeutics (IOVA) Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: New clinical data: positive pilot results for lifileucel in advanced soft tissue sarcomas (50% ORR in a small cohort) expand the addressable market and bolster the company’s clinical narrative. Iovance Announces Positive Results from the First Clinical Trial for TIL Cell Therapy in Soft Tissue Sarcomas
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought ~27,681 call options (≈364% above average), indicating short-term bullish positioning that can amplify intraday moves.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and data-driven optimism: recent Amtagvi data has prompted positive coverage and at least one reiterated Buy with a $9 target, supporting upside narratives for adoption. Iovance (IOVA) Shares New Amtagvi Data, Analysts Stay Positive
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings previews and broader coverage highlighted catalysts and upcoming data but add limited new information beyond the items above. Iovance earnings on deck as Amtagvi data spurs adoption hopes
• Negative Sentiment: Financials remain a headwind: the company still posts deep losses and negative margins (net margin ~-158.8%, negative ROE), and consensus expects continued FY losses, which limits valuation until sustained commercial profitability or clear uptake is evident. Listen to Conference Call / Press Release

Iovance Biotherapeutics Price Performance

IOVA traded up $0.85 on Tuesday, reaching $3.74. 43,874,292 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,011,623. Iovance Biotherapeutics has a 52-week low of $1.64 and a 52-week high of $5.64. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.11 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $2.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.39.

Iovance Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:IOVA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $86.77 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.61 million. Iovance Biotherapeutics had a negative net margin of 158.78% and a negative return on equity of 55.24%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Iovance Biotherapeutics will post -1.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IOVA shares. HC Wainwright cut their price objective on Iovance Biotherapeutics from $20.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $2.00 price objective on shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays lifted their target price on Iovance Biotherapeutics from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Chardan Capital decreased their target price on Iovance Biotherapeutics from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.50.

Iovance Biotherapeutics Company Profile

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company specializing in the development and commercialization of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s lead product candidate, lifileucel (formerly LN‐144), is an autologous TIL therapy in late‐stage clinical development for patients with advanced melanoma. Iovance’s pipeline also includes next‐generation TIL programs such as LN‐145 for cervical and other human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related cancers, as well as exploratory studies in head and neck, non‐small cell lung, gastric and other solid tumor indications.

Iovance’s TIL platform harnesses a patient’s own immune system by isolating, expanding and reinfusing tumor‐reactive lymphocytes.