Replimune Group (NASDAQ:REPL) Lowered to “Underperform” Rating by BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Replimune Group (NASDAQ:REPL) from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $1.00 target price on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on REPL. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $2.00 price target (down from $13.00) on shares of Replimune Group in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Replimune Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler cut shares of Replimune Group from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $4.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Replimune Group in a research report on Monday. Finally, Leerink Partners reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $2.00 target price (down from $11.00) on shares of Replimune Group in a research report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $4.63.

Replimune Group Price Performance

Shares of REPL opened at $1.70 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $7.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.94. Replimune Group has a fifty-two week low of $1.50 and a fifty-two week high of $13.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.37 million, a PE ratio of -0.49 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 5.60 and a current ratio of 5.60.

Replimune Group (NASDAQ:REPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported ($0.77) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.08. Equities analysts predict that Replimune Group will post -2.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher Sarchi sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.01, for a total transaction of $52,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 151,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,214,219.88. This represents a 4.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Replimune Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Replimune Group in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Replimune Group by 3,638.9% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 7,569 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Replimune Group by 248.6% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Replimune Group by 99.8% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 6,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Replimune Group in the second quarter worth $69,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Replimune Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Replimune Group this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Company response — Replimune’s executive chairman publicly called the FDA decision “unfair” and discussed next steps in a TV interview; management tone suggests they will contest or seek clarification with the agency. Replimune co-founder calls FDA rejection ‘unfair’
• Neutral Sentiment: Market mechanics — Trading on REPL was temporarily halted (LULD pause) during the sell-off as the market digested the CRL. (Intraday regulatory pause)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry analysis — A PharmTech piece reviews lessons from the RP1 CRL for other developers; useful context but does not change Replimune’s immediate financials. What Pharma Developers Can Learn From RP1’s Rejection
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory setback — The FDA issued a CRL for RP1’s Biologics License Application for advanced melanoma, delaying approval and forcing Replimune to address agency deficiencies before any potential approval. FDA Issues CRL to Replimune for RP1 BLA
• Negative Sentiment: Second CRL / program risk — Coverage notes this is a second CRL for RP1, increasing uncertainty about the regulatory path and timing for any approval or label; that uncertainty undermines near-term revenue and valuation expectations. Replimune Gets Second FDA CRL
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction — Major outlets report REPL plunged to an all-time low on the news, with heavy trading and a dramatic drop in market value. Street sours on Replimune
• Negative Sentiment: Cost actions — Reports indicate Replimune is planning layoffs after the FDA decision, signaling management expects reduced near-term operating activity and is cutting burn. Replimune plans layoffs after FDA rejects cancer therapy
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reaction — Multiple firms cut ratings and slashed price targets (downgrades and lower PTs from Jefferies, BMO, Wedbush, Leerink, JPMorgan, HC Wainwright, Piper and others), reflecting reduced probability of near-term upside. FDA Rejection Sparks Questions On Replimune Drug Approval Path

Replimune Group Company Profile

Replimune Group, Inc is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on developing next‐generation oncolytic immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s proprietary “RP” platform leverages genetically engineered herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) vectors armed with immunomodulatory payloads to selectively infect, replicate within and destroy cancer cells, while also stimulating systemic antitumor immune responses.

Replimune’s lead candidate, RP1, incorporates GM-CSF and a fusogenic protein to enhance both direct oncolysis and immune activation.