Simplify Asset Management Inc. Acquires 72,438 Shares of Benitec Biopharma Limited $BNTC

Simplify Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) by 92.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 151,163 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72,438 shares during the quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Benitec Biopharma worth $2,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of BNTC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the 3rd quarter valued at $79,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Benitec Biopharma by 2,255.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,879 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 6,587 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $93,000. Institutional investors own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

Benitec Biopharma stock opened at $11.23 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.10. Benitec Biopharma Limited has a one year low of $9.85 and a one year high of $17.15. The stock has a market cap of $385.75 million, a PE ratio of -9.85 and a beta of 0.28.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.27) by $0.03. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma Limited will post -1.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on BNTC. Wall Street Zen upgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, March 9th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Evercore began coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Benitec Biopharma Profile

Benitec Biopharma Ltd (NASDAQ: BNTC) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec’s lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.