Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,801,280 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the January 29th total of 6,568,745 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 927,276 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.4 days. Currently, 17.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 17.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 927,276 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.4 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore started coverage on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $44.00 price target on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Zenas BioPharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.14.

Insider Transactions at Zenas BioPharma

In related news, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 57,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $17.96 per share, with a total value of $1,023,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 423,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,599,863.80. The trade was a 15.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Hongbo Lu purchased 25,985 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.50 per share, with a total value of $584,662.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 347,968 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,829,280. The trade was a 8.07% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased a total of 202,845 shares of company stock worth $3,747,185 in the last three months. Company insiders own 16.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ZBIO. SR One Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. SR One Capital Management LP now owns 5,037,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,924,000 after acquiring an additional 126,315 shares during the period. NEA Management Company LLC raised its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. NEA Management Company LLC now owns 3,523,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,928,000 after purchasing an additional 789,500 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 45.9% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,715,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,603,000 after purchasing an additional 853,740 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Zenas BioPharma by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,453,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,761,000 after purchasing an additional 290,307 shares during the period. Finally, Polar Capital Holdings Plc bought a new position in Zenas BioPharma during the 4th quarter valued at $38,402,000.

Zenas BioPharma Stock Performance

Shares of ZBIO opened at $25.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 5.66 and a current ratio of 5.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $23.96 and a 200-day moving average of $26.58. The company has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.57 and a beta of -1.94. Zenas BioPharma has a 1 year low of $6.11 and a 1 year high of $44.60.

Zenas BioPharma Company Profile

Zenas BioPharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies in oncology and infectious diseases. The company’s proprietary platform integrates structure-guided design, computational modeling and high-throughput screening to address challenging protein-protein interactions. Zenas BioPharma is advancing multiple preclinical and clinical-stage candidates aimed at providing new treatment options where current modalities may be limited by efficacy or safety concerns.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zenas BioPharma was built to streamline the drug discovery process from target identification through to IND-enabling studies.