Summit Therapeutics Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:SMMT)

Summit Therapeutics PLC (NASDAQ:SMMT) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 8,383 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 144% compared to the typical volume of 3,437 put options.

Institutional Trading of Summit Therapeutics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baker BROS. Advisors LP raised its position in Summit Therapeutics by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 36,391,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $636,480,000 after purchasing an additional 2,668,089 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Summit Therapeutics by 31.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,379,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,105,000 after buying an additional 2,706,056 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Summit Therapeutics by 106.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,371,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,907,000 after buying an additional 4,832,592 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Summit Therapeutics by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,636,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,070,000 after buying an additional 274,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Summit Therapeutics by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,147,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,063,000 after buying an additional 14,745 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.61% of the company’s stock.

Summit Therapeutics Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:SMMT traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,101,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,826,209. Summit Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $13.83 and a fifty-two week high of $36.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.61 and a 200-day moving average of $19.19. The company has a market capitalization of $12.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.00 and a beta of -1.44.

Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SMMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by ($0.07). On average, equities analysts anticipate that Summit Therapeutics will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on SMMT shares. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Summit Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Summit Redstone set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Summit Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Zacks Research cut shares of Summit Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. HC Wainwright lowered their target price on Summit Therapeutics from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Summit Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Summit Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Summit Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights operational and clinical progress for ivonescimab (SMT112), an investigational bispecific antibody — this pipeline update supports longer‑term upside if clinical data continues to progress. Business Wire: Financial Results and Operational Progress
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright lowered its price target from $40 to $30 but maintained a Buy rating — this reduces the analyst-implied upside yet leaves institutional support intact. The Fly: Price Target Lowered
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 2025 earnings call transcript and slide materials are available — useful for investors who want detail behind guidance, cash runway and clinical timelines before trading decisions. Seeking Alpha: Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Summit reported Q4 EPS of ($0.29), missing the consensus ($0.22) — an earnings miss that pressured near‑term sentiment and raises questions on near-term execution and cash flow. Investing.com: Falls on earnings miss
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-option buying (≈8,383 puts, ~144% above typical volume) signals elevated short-term bearish bets or hedging activity, which can increase volatility and downside pressure if sentiment turns negative.

About Summit Therapeutics

Summit Therapeutics plc is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of precision medicines for serious and life‐threatening diseases. The company applies a targeted approach to drug design, focusing on novel mechanisms of action that differentiate its candidates from existing therapies.

Summit’s lead asset, ridinilazole (formerly SMT19969), is being developed to treat Clostridioides difficile infections and has received both Fast Track and Qualified Infectious Disease Product designations from the U.S.