Plus, an FDA nod has SGEN shares higher
It's been another volatile session for stocks today, with the Dow swinging higher in afternoon trading. Among individual names making notable moves today are Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), healthcare issue Acadia Healthcare Company Inc (NASDAQ:ACHC), and drugmaker Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN). Here's a quick roundup of what's moving the shares of GOOGL, ACHC, and SGEN.
Google Cloud CEO Hitting the Bricks
Alphabet shares saw a volume spike around midday, on word that Google Cloud CEO Diane Green is hitting the exits after three years. Oracle veteran Thomas Kurian will take her place on Nov. 26. GOOGL stock was last seen 1% lower to trade at $1,059.93.
The shares have dropped 18% since their July 27 all-time high of $1,291.44, with recent rebound attempts stalling at their 20-day moving average. What's more, GOOGL's 50-day and 200-day moving averages just made a "death cross" for the first time since June 2016.
Despite the FAANG stock's fall from grace, GOOGL remains beloved on Wall Street. Currently, 26 of 27 analysts maintain "buy" or "strong buy" opinions, with the remaining brokerage firm issuing a lukewarm "hold" rating. Should the aforementioned death cross prove ominous, a round of downgrades could weigh further on Alphabet shares.
Option Bull Abandons ACHC on M&A Buzz
Acadia Healthcare stock is down 17.9% to trade at $31.07, pacing for its worst day since October 2017, amid reports that buyout talks with KKR & Co (KKR) have stalled. Last month, it was reported that Acadia had been in talks to sell itself, with KKR emerging as a front-runner to buy the company. ACHC earlier touched a new annual low of $28.02, and is pacing for its lowest close since November 2017.
Against this backdrop, ACHC calls are flying off the shelves at five times the average intraday pace, with roughly 14,000 already traded. Most of the action has transpired at the December 40 and 45 calls, in symmetrical blocks marked "spread." The trades happened shortly after 10 a.m. ET -- right around the time the KKR buzz hit the wires -- and the speculator likely closed a bull call spread opened Nov. 13.
SGEN Stock Jumps on FDA Nod
Seattle Genetics stock is up 6.6% at $57.97, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its Adcetris injection, combined with chemotherapy, to treat certain types of lymphoma. However, SGEN still has a ways to go before filling its Oct. 26 post-earnings bear gap, which culminated in a six-month low of $50.71 on Oct. 30. The security is also staring up at its 200-day moving average, which is stagnating in the $63.50 neighborhood.
Short sellers have been piling on in recent weeks, with short interest up 6.3% in the past two reporting periods. These bearish bets now represent more than two weeks' worth of trading, at SGEN's average daily volume.