Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Stock Price Down 4.9% – Should You Sell?

Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA)’s share price traded down 4.9% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $7.34 and last traded at $7.3590. Approximately 254,607 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 419,417 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on AURA shares. Leerink Partners set a $17.00 target price on Aura Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Aura Biosciences from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Aura Biosciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Aura Biosciences from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.50.

Aura Biosciences Trading Up 2.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $744.41 million, a P/E ratio of -4.14 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s fifty day moving average is $7.19 and its 200 day moving average is $6.40.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.40) by ($0.10). Equities research analysts predict that Aura Biosciences, Inc. will post -1.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Aura Biosciences

In other Aura Biosciences news, insider Anthony S. Gibney sold 12,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.42, for a total value of $82,330.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 265,354 shares in the company, valued at $1,703,572.68. This trade represents a 4.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, major shareholder Matrix Capital Management Comp sold 6,922,870 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.64, for a total value of $39,044,986.80. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,947,432 shares of company stock worth $39,209,718. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences during the third quarter valued at approximately $157,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Aura Biosciences by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,557 shares of the company’s stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 2,693 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Aura Biosciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $143,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aura Biosciences by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 5,674 shares during the period. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aura Biosciences by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 20,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 5,541 shares during the period. 96.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus‐like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company’s platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non‐ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near‐infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti‐tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.