Investors Buy Large Volume of Iovance Biotherapeutics Call Options (NASDAQ:IOVA)

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:IOVA) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 27,681 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 364% compared to the average daily volume of 5,961 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a $2.00 price target on shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Chardan Capital lowered their price target on Iovance Biotherapeutics from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright dropped their price objective on Iovance Biotherapeutics from $20.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Iovance Biotherapeutics has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.50.

More Iovance Biotherapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Iovance Biotherapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive pilot trial data in soft‑tissue sarcomas: MSKCC‑led pilot of lifileucel showed a 50% objective response rate in advanced UPS/DDLPS, highlighting a clear commercial opportunity (~8,000 annual U.S./EU patients) and boosting enthusiasm for Iovance’s TIL platform. GlobeNewswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat: Q4 EPS loss of ($0.18) topped consensus (~$0.22 miss) and revenue of $86.8M beat estimates (~$81.6M), narrowing losses and supporting a stronger near‑term narrative around commercialization. Yahoo Finance
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction / trading flow: Heavy call‑option buying and high share volume indicate speculative and institutional interest on the upside, amplifying the price move. (Unusually large options activity reported Tuesday; 27,681 calls traded, ~364% above normal.)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/upside commentary: Several outlets and analysts highlighted AMTAGVI/lifileucel data and maintained positive stances (H.C. Wainwright coverage and other analyst notes), reinforcing buy‑side conviction around adoption potential. Business Insider
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / disclosures: Management held its Q4 2025 earnings call and released the transcript/summary; investors should read management commentary for guidance on commercial uptake, manufacturing capacity and timing of revenue growth. Earnings Call Summary (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and previews noted the same catalysts (AMTAGVI adoption, upcoming milestones) — useful context but not new data. Investing.com Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and financial risks remain: analysts and deep‑dive notes flag manufacturing scale, adoption timing and a material dilution risk — cash runway is modeled into Q3 2027 and AMTAGVI is unlikely to be cash‑generative before then without partnerships, raising financing risk. Seeking Alpha Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability metrics still poor: Iovance reported negative net margins and negative ROE; while Q4 improvement is encouraging, the company remains unprofitable and dependent on commercial execution and potential capital raises. Zacks Report

Iovance Biotherapeutics Stock Performance

IOVA stock opened at $3.78 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $2.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.40. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.15 and a beta of 0.76. Iovance Biotherapeutics has a 1 year low of $1.64 and a 1 year high of $5.64.

Iovance Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:IOVA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.04. Iovance Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 55.24% and a negative net margin of 158.78%.The company had revenue of $86.77 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.61 million. On average, research analysts predict that Iovance Biotherapeutics will post -1.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Iovance Biotherapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IOVA. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Iovance Biotherapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Arcataur Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Iovance Biotherapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Iovance Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 77.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Iovance Biotherapeutics Company Profile

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company specializing in the development and commercialization of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s lead product candidate, lifileucel (formerly LN‐144), is an autologous TIL therapy in late‐stage clinical development for patients with advanced melanoma. Iovance’s pipeline also includes next‐generation TIL programs such as LN‐145 for cervical and other human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related cancers, as well as exploratory studies in head and neck, non‐small cell lung, gastric and other solid tumor indications.

Iovance’s TIL platform harnesses a patient’s own immune system by isolating, expanding and reinfusing tumor‐reactive lymphocytes.