Traders Purchase High Volume of Vera Therapeutics Call Options (NASDAQ:VERA)

Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 12,873 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,040% compared to the average daily volume of 1,129 call options.

Vera Therapeutics Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:VERA opened at $35.28 on Wednesday. Vera Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $21.15 and a 12 month high of $56.05. The company has a quick ratio of 10.92, a current ratio of 10.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.86. The firm has a market cap of $2.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.02 and a beta of 0.92.

Vera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VERA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported ($1.52) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.58) by $0.06. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.20) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vera Therapeutics will post -6.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Needham & Company LLC set a $125.00 target price on Vera Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Vera Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Vera Therapeutics from $56.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vera Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Vera Therapeutics news, CEO Marshall Fordyce sold 46,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.30, for a total value of $1,956,375.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 151,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,429,346.20. This trade represents a 23.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 15.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Vera Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Vera Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $51,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Vera Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,000. Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Vera Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $97,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of Vera Therapeutics by 192.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,186 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,757 shares during the last quarter. 99.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vera Therapeutics

Vera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel immunotherapies that harness the body’s own regulatory T cells to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. By leveraging a proprietary protein engineering platform, the company designs Treg-selective cytokine variants intended to restore immune balance and provide targeted, disease-modifying effects. Its pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical candidates aimed at indications characterized by chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vera Therapeutics collaborates with leading academic and research institutions to advance its development programs.