bluebird bio Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:BLUE)

bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders bought 1,893 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 28% compared to the average volume of 1,475 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on BLUE shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of bluebird bio in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Bank of America lowered shares of bluebird bio from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $10.00 in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of bluebird bio in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of bluebird bio from $2.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of bluebird bio from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, bluebird bio currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.14.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On bluebird bio

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. bought a new position in shares of bluebird bio in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $175,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in bluebird bio by 273.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 252,062 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 184,605 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in bluebird bio by 3.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,683,042 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 166,771 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in bluebird bio by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,841,923 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 43,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new stake in bluebird bio during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

bluebird bio Price Performance

BLUE stock opened at $4.08 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.81 and a 200-day moving average of $9.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. bluebird bio has a 12 month low of $4.00 and a 12 month high of $38.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.66 million, a P/E ratio of -0.11 and a beta of 0.68.

About bluebird bio

bluebird bio, Inc, a biotechnology company, researches, develops, and commercializes gene therapies for severe genetic diseases. Its product candidates for severe genetic diseases include ZYNTEGLO (betibeglogene autotemcel) for the treatment of transfusion-dependent ß-thalassemia; lovotibeglogene autotemcel for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD); and SKYSONA (elivaldogene autotemcel) to treat cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.