Renaissance Technologies LLC Acquires 807,024 Shares of Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. $PLRX

Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLRX) by 77.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,852,842 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 807,024 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Pliant Therapeutics were worth $2,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of PLRX. Monaco Asset Management SAM raised its stake in Pliant Therapeutics by 135.7% during the fourth quarter. Monaco Asset Management SAM now owns 1,938,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,054 shares in the last quarter. BML Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $1,886,000. Nano Cap New Millennium Growth Fund L P acquired a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $287,000. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $97,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pliant Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $95,000. 97.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pliant Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PLRX opened at $1.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.40 million, a P/E ratio of -0.57 and a beta of 1.24. Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $1.03 and a 52-week high of $1.95. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.21.

Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ:PLRX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.36) by $0.04. Analysts forecast that Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PLRX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pliant Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Pliant Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pliant Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $3.00.

Pliant Therapeutics Company Profile

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: PLRX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel therapies for fibrotic diseases. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, Pliant applies a precision medicine approach to target integrin-mediated signaling pathways implicated in the development and progression of fibrosis across organ systems.

The company’s lead product candidate, PLN-74809, is an oral small molecule designed to inhibit both αvβ1 and αvβ6 integrins in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).