BioNTech Stock Boosted by COVID-19 Vaccine Pact

The shares of BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) are up 1.4% at $59.42 at last check, after the company was one of nine biopharmaceutical companies to announce a united commitment to uphold the integrity of the scientific process while working toward a COVID-19 vaccine.This pact comes amid a heated debate over what drug companies should be doing to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 

Today's pop has BNTX contending with its 100-day moving average -- a trendline that's served as resistance since late last month. While the security has definitely taken a tumble off its mid-July peak near the $104 mark, it is up around 79.4% this year. 

On the analyst front, three out of the seven analysts in coverage sport a "strong buy" on BioNTech stock, with the remaining four at a tepid "hold." Meanwhile, the 12-month consensus target price of $77 is a 30% premium to current levels. 

In the past 10 days, 1.22 calls have been bought for every put at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). These options are reasonably priced at the moment too, per the stock's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 104%, which sits in the 24th percentile of its annual range. This suggests short-term options players are pricing in relatively low volatility expectations.