Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA)

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 98,415 call options on the company. This is an increase of 240% compared to the typical daily volume of 28,932 call options.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Price Performance

NYSE:TEVA opened at $18.60 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $19.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $18.48. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has a 1-year low of $11.48 and a 1-year high of $22.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.01. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries had a negative net margin of 5.73% and a positive return on equity of 42.92%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will post 2.37 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

In related news, EVP Christine Fox sold 19,388 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.87, for a total transaction of $327,075.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 44,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $744,034.48. This trade represents a 30.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Roberto Mignone sold 286,000 shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.01, for a total transaction of $6,294,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 695,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,296,950. The trade was a 29.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 555.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 2,439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 2,067 shares in the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 55.7% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 2,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 980 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries during the third quarter worth $50,000. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries during the third quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries during the third quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 54.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on TEVA. StockNews.com lowered shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $16.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.63.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, Israel, and internationally. It offers generic medicines in various dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams; sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in parenteral and solid dosage forms; and generic products with medical devices and combination products.