Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) Director Buys $220,551.60 in Stock

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Director Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 16,836 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $13.10 per share, for a total transaction of $220,551.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 9,634,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $126,210,574.50. This trade represents a 0.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Suvretta Capital Management, L also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 29th, Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 77,387 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28.
• On Tuesday, December 23rd, Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 50,000 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $642,500.00.
• On Monday, December 22nd, Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 19,542 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.08 per share, with a total value of $236,067.36.
• On Friday, December 19th, Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 16,384 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $11.48 per share, for a total transaction of $188,088.32.
• On Thursday, December 18th, Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 10,215 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.24 per share, for a total transaction of $114,816.60.
• On Friday, November 7th, Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 1,481,481 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.50 per share, with a total value of $19,999,993.50.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:BNTC traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $13.49. The stock had a trading volume of 200,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 243,420. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.55 and a 200 day moving average of $13.36. The company has a market capitalization of $456.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.15 and a beta of 0.20. Benitec Biopharma Limited has a one year low of $9.70 and a one year high of $17.15.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.13. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Benitec Biopharma Limited will post -1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (down previously from $35.00) on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Zacks Research raised Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on Benitec Biopharma from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $22.00 target price on Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Six equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Benitec Biopharma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Benitec Biopharma by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 154,414 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,166,000 after buying an additional 44,489 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 458.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 99,941 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after acquiring an additional 82,057 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the third quarter worth $79,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 2.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 992,114 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,919,000 after purchasing an additional 22,948 shares during the period. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Benitec Biopharma

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.