Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.3333.

CADL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Candel Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research lowered Candel Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Candel Therapeutics from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 14th.

Candel Therapeutics Stock Down 14.1%

CADL stock opened at $5.11 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.81 and a 200-day moving average of $5.53. Candel Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $4.25 and a fifty-two week high of $12.15. The company has a market capitalization of $280.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.96 and a beta of -0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a quick ratio of 8.25 and a current ratio of 8.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Candel Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Candel Therapeutics by 128.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 4,439 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Candel Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Candel Therapeutics by 361.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,608 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 7,527 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Candel Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at $59,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Candel Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $59,000. 13.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Candel Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Candel Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Non‑dilutive $100M royalty funding from RTW to support a potential U.S. launch of CAN‑2409 — strengthens the balance sheet without issuing shares. Candel Therapeutics Announces $100M Royalty Funding Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Wider market action and futures strength provided some positive context for biotech names today but didn’t offset company‑specific news. Stock Market Today: Dow Jones, S&P 500 Futures Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Some intraday coverage noted a brief uptick earlier in the session (reported ~3.9% gain) before the financing news and offer pricing drove renewed selling. Candel Therapeutics Trading Up 3.9%
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting in the feed appears to show zero shares and inconsistent data; no clear short squeeze signal from the data provided.
• Negative Sentiment: Underwritten public offering priced at $5.45 per share for ~18.35M shares (~$100M gross) — this is dilutive and likely the primary driver of investor selling pressure. Candel Therapeutics prices $100M public offering
• Negative Sentiment: After‑hours share weakness (near‑term plunge reported) appears tied to investor reaction to the offering pricing and dilution concerns despite the RTW deal; heavy volume suggests active exits. Why CADL stock plunged nearly 15% in after-hours trading today

About Candel Therapeutics

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the development of next-generation oncolytic viral therapies designed to treat solid tumors. The company’s lead candidate, CAN-2409, is a locally administered, gene-delivered viral therapy engineered to selectively replicate in cancer cells and induce immunogenic cell death. Candel leverages proprietary virus engineering platforms to enhance tumor-specific replication and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with high unmet medical needs.

In addition to its lead program, Candel’s pipeline includes CAN-3110, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus targeting recurrent high-grade glioma, and other novel viral constructs being explored for a variety of solid tumor indications.