Mesoblast Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:MESO)

Mesoblast Limited (NASDAQ:MESO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 3,838 put options on the company. This is an increase of 350% compared to the average volume of 852 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Mesoblast in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Mesoblast from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Mesoblast from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Maxim Group upgraded shares of Mesoblast from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mesoblast presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $11.50.

Mesoblast Stock Up 43.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:MESO traded up $5.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $17.52. The company had a trading volume of 2,009,311 shares, compared to its average volume of 727,295. Mesoblast has a 12 month low of $1.61 and a 12 month high of $19.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Mesoblast by 46.4% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 85,102 shares of the company’s stock worth $695,000 after purchasing an additional 26,959 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Mesoblast during the 2nd quarter worth about $562,000. Lazari Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Mesoblast by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Lazari Capital Management Inc. now owns 53,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. XY Capital Ltd bought a new position in Mesoblast in the 3rd quarter valued at about $244,000. Finally, Creative Planning acquired a new stake in Mesoblast during the third quarter worth approximately $147,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Mesoblast Company Profile

Mesoblast Limited engages in the development of regenerative medicine products in Australia, the United States, Singapore, and Switzerland. The company offers products in the areas of cardiovascular, spine orthopedic disorder, oncology, hematology, and immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases. Its proprietary regenerative medicine technology platform is based on specialized cells known as mesenchymal lineage cells.