Benitec Biopharma’s (BNTC) Buy Rating Reiterated at HC Wainwright

HC Wainwright reiterated their buy rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) in a research report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. HC Wainwright currently has a $32.00 target price on the biotechnology company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.67.

Benitec Biopharma Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of BNTC opened at $12.28 on Monday. Benitec Biopharma has a 12-month low of $9.85 and a 12-month high of $17.15. The stock has a market cap of $421.82 million, a P/E ratio of -10.77 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.04.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.03). As a group, analysts forecast that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Benitec Biopharma news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 77,387 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 9,700,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,370,620.80. This trade represents a 0.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 190,364 shares of company stock worth $2,442,105. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Benitec Biopharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the second quarter worth $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,339 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the third quarter worth about $79,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the second quarter worth about $80,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

Benitec Biopharma Company 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.