Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) Receives Buy Rating from HC Wainwright

HC Wainwright reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. HC Wainwright currently has a $32.00 target price on the biotechnology company’s stock.

BNTC has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Benitec Biopharma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $27.67.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

BNTC opened at $12.55 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $11.77 and a 200-day moving average of $13.05. The company has a market capitalization of $431.09 million, a P/E ratio of -11.01 and a beta of 0.31. Benitec Biopharma has a fifty-two week low of $9.85 and a fifty-two week high of $17.15.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.03). On average, equities research analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Benitec Biopharma

In other news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 77,387 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,700,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $130,370,620.80. The trade was a 0.80% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 190,364 shares of company stock valued at $2,442,105. 4.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BNTC. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 2,339 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the third quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the second quarter valued at about $80,000. 52.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.