Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.10 EPS

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.38) by ($0.10), FiscalAI reports.

Aura Biosciences Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:AURA traded up $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $7.78. 319,874 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 427,784. The firm has a market capitalization of $804.76 million, a P/E ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 0.40. Aura Biosciences has a 1-year low of $4.73 and a 1-year high of $9.53. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $6.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AURA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Leerink Partners set a $17.00 price target on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Aura Biosciences from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Anthony S. Gibney sold 12,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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 acquired a new position in Aura Biosciences in the 1st quarter worth approximately $137,000. Invesco Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $76,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aura Biosciences by 67.1% in the 2nd quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 2,117,697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,257,000 after acquiring an additional 850,000 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Aura Biosciences by 31.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 84,558 shares of the company’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 20,065 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth $102,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.75% of the company’s stock.

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.