Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.6364.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a report on Friday, November 14th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, B. Riley Financial assumed coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company.

Aardvark Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Aardvark Therapeutics stock opened at $13.48 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $293.46 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.36. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.17. Aardvark Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $4.88 and a 12 month high of $19.58.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AARD. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 54,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $727,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 59.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 56,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 21,052 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 20.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 555,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,386,000 after purchasing an additional 94,744 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 129.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 136,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,851,000 after purchasing an additional 77,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Aardvark Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000.

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.