Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ:KRYS) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Krystal Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRYS) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $335.04 and last traded at $335.2510, with a volume of 51168 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $323.37.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KRYS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Krystal Biotech in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on Krystal Biotech from $310.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on Krystal Biotech from $371.00 to $378.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Krystal Biotech from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on Krystal Biotech from $224.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $329.78.

Krystal Biotech Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.34 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $290.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $269.76.

Krystal Biotech (NASDAQ:KRYS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $116.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $112.11 million. Krystal Biotech had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 53.92%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Krystal Biotech, Inc. will post 7.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Krystal Biotech news, EVP John Charles Thomas sold 642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.03, for a total value of $193,903.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Suma Krishnan sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.11, for a total value of $7,702,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,378,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $424,623,337.05. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 13.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Krystal Biotech

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Krystal Biotech by 469.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,662,000 after acquiring an additional 15,591 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Krystal Biotech by 58.4% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 105,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,084,000 after purchasing an additional 39,000 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Krystal Biotech by 63.9% during the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 149,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,356,000 after purchasing an additional 58,203 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Krystal Biotech during the third quarter worth approximately $1,450,000. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Krystal Biotech by 124.5% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 45,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,958,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. 86.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Krystal Biotech

Krystal Biotech, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing gene therapies for rare dermatological diseases. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company applies proprietary viral vector delivery technology to enable topical administration of corrective genes directly to the skin. By targeting the underlying genetic causes of inherited skin disorders, Krystal Biotech seeks to address areas of high unmet medical need with potentially transformative treatments.

The company’s lead product candidate, KB103, is designed to deliver a functional COL7A1 gene to patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), a severe and often debilitating blistering condition.