Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Alphatec Put Options (NASDAQ:ATEC)

Alphatec Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATEC) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 2,654 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 99% compared to the average daily volume of 1,337 put options.

Alphatec Trading Up 9.8 %

Shares of ATEC stock traded up $1.08 on Thursday, hitting $12.14. The stock had a trading volume of 1,187,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,041. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $10.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 30.21, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Alphatec has a 1 year low of $4.88 and a 1 year high of $15.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.42 and a beta of 1.43.

Alphatec (NASDAQ:ATEC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The medical technology company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.19) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $176.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $172.74 million. Alphatec had a negative net margin of 31.06% and a negative return on equity of 541.39%. Analysts anticipate that Alphatec will post -1.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Alphatec

In related news, EVP David Sponsel sold 12,946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.73, for a total value of $138,910.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 722,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,748,433.44. The trade was a 1.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Patrick Miles sold 32,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.89, for a total value of $352,759.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 5,940,391 shares in the company, valued at $64,690,857.99. The trade was a 0.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 267,715 shares of company stock worth $3,048,819. 22.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alphatec

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Alphatec during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Comerica Bank boosted its position in shares of Alphatec by 66.8% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 3,116 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Alphatec by 973.3% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,669 shares of the medical technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 4,234 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Alphatec by 79.2% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,374 shares of the medical technology company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 2,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alphatec in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ATEC shares. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Alphatec from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Alphatec in a research note on Thursday. Barclays upped their target price on Alphatec from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Alphatec in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alphatec currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.67.

About Alphatec

Alphatec Holdings, Inc, a medical technology company, designs, develops, and advances technologies for the surgical treatment of spinal disorders in the United States and internationally. It manufactures and sells implants and instruments through third-party suppliers. The company offers Alpha InformatiX product platform, including EOS imaging system that provides full-body imaging; VEA alignment mobile application, which leverages EOS technology to more quickly quantify alignment parameters on a mobile device; SafeOp Neural InformatiX System that automates electromyographic and somatosensory evoked potential monitoring; and Valence, an intra-operative system that integrates navigation and robotics into spine procedures, as well as Sigma Prone TransPsoas (PTP) Access and PTP Patient Positioning Systems.