Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.4444.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AARD shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a report on Friday, November 14th. Jones Trading began coverage on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, December 12th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Nelson Sun acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $14.40 per share, for a total transaction of $43,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 108,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,562,169.60. This trade represents a 2.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Tien-Li Lee acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.48 per share, with a total value of $101,360.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,551,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,467,356.24. This trade represents a 0.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aardvark Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in Aardvark Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $99,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 72.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,989 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,369 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $153,000.

Aardvark Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AARD opened at $13.77 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.82. Aardvark Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $4.88 and a fifty-two week high of $19.58. The company has a market capitalization of $299.77 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.50.

Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported ($0.75) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.82) by $0.07.

About Aardvark Therapeutics

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of the retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ). RORγ plays a central role in T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and inflammatory processes. By targeting this transcription factor, Aardvark aims to address a range of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases.

The company’s lead programs consist of selective RORγ inverse agonists designed to suppress pathogenic Th17-driven responses in conditions such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders.