Thu Jan 02 15:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Intuitive Machines Sees Surge in Options Trading Amidst Analyst Uptick and Insider Selling

**Sioux Falls, SD –** Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ: LUNR), a space technology company, experienced a significant jump in call option trading on Thursday. Investors purchased 79,143 call options, a 38% increase over the average daily volume. This surge comes amidst a mixed bag of recent news, including positive analyst ratings and insider stock sales.

Several brokerages have recently revised their price targets for LUNR upward. Benchmark raised its target to $16, Canaccord Genuity to $17.50, and Cantor Fitzgerald to $15, all assigning buy ratings. While B. Riley and Roth Mkm also issued buy ratings with price targets of $12 and $10 respectively. The overall analyst consensus rating for LUNR remains a “Buy,” with an average price target of $14.10.

However, this positive sentiment is counterbalanced by recent insider selling. CEO Stephen J. Altemus sold 61,432 shares on November 11th, representing a 6.32% decrease in his holdings, and Director Kamal Seyed Ghaffarian sold 377,973 shares on December 2nd, a 9.76% reduction in his ownership. Over the past three months, insiders have sold a total of 1,701,785 shares, totaling $18,458,666. Despite this, insiders still retain a substantial 73.68% ownership of the company.

Institutional investors are also active in LUNR. Barclays PLC increased its stake by 275.2%, Geode Capital Management LLC by 31.2%, and State Street Corp by 1.3%. New positions were also established by Savoie Capital LLC and Stifel Financial Corp. Institutional ownership currently stands at 72.21%.

LUNR’s stock price rose $2.43 to $19.08 on Thursday, on unusually high trading volume (28,449,641 shares vs. the average of 10,488,428 shares). The company’s market cap is $2.68 billion.

While the increased options trading and positive analyst sentiment suggest optimism, the significant insider selling warrants consideration. Investors should carefully weigh this mixed information when making investment decisions.

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