Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $26.25.

A number of brokerages recently commented on BNTC. Zacks Research raised shares of Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JMP Securities set a $22.00 target price on Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday, January 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 price of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28. Following the transaction, the director owned 9,700,195 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 1,671,845 shares of company stock valued at $22,442,099. 4.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Benitec Biopharma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BNTC. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the third quarter worth about $79,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 2,255.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,879 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 6,587 shares during the last quarter. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ BNTC opened at $12.46 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.16. The firm has a market cap of $421.90 million, a PE ratio of -10.30 and a beta of 0.26. Benitec Biopharma has a twelve month low of $9.70 and a twelve month high of $17.15.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.13. On average, research analysts expect that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

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.