Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on LYEL. HC Wainwright raised Lyell Immunopharma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $20.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $34.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Lyell Immunopharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LYEL opened at $19.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $458.51 million, a P/E ratio of -1.21 and a beta of -0.14. Lyell Immunopharma has a fifty-two week low of $7.65 and a fifty-two week high of $45.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.12.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($7.68) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.15) by ($5.53). The firm had revenue of $0.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.02 million. Lyell Immunopharma had a negative return on equity of 90.52% and a negative net margin of 762,355.56%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lyell Immunopharma will post -0.78 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lyell Immunopharma

In related news, COO Stephen J. Hill sold 1,236 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $28,910.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 17,795 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,225.05. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Lynn Seely sold 7,455 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total transaction of $174,372.45. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 74,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,737,081.74. This trade represents a 9.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 11,310 shares of company stock worth $264,285 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 22.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lyell Immunopharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lyell Immunopharma by 773.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 174,279 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 154,327 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Lyell Immunopharma by 204.2% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 660,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 443,614 shares in the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma during the second quarter valued at about $258,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma during the second quarter valued at about $94,000. Finally, RBF Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma in the second quarter worth about $884,000. 66.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lyell Immunopharma Company Profile

Lyell Immunopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation T cell therapies for cancer. Leveraging a proprietary platform that combines cell therapy, gene editing and molecular discovery, Lyell seeks to overcome key barriers in the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s approach centers on engineering T cells to enhance their persistence, functionality and resistance to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

The company’s pipeline includes multiple autologous T cell programs engineered to target tumor-associated antigens in solid malignancies such as melanoma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.