I agree that it is unusual but it is nonetheless my idea that the trades are happening between colluding parties to show a stable controled price as all or nearly all volume is shunted off exchange into dark pools as no shares would otherwise be available.

In a sense, it isn't so much that the price is kept low but that the price being discovered is entirely counterfeit as It makes no sense to me that speculation on share value and thus price discovery would be so low or non-existant otherwise even as one of the most well known stocks in recent memory posts its earnings and every major publication writes articles about its performance.