Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.6667.

Several brokerages recently commented on BNTC. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, March 9th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Benitec Biopharma Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:BNTC opened at $14.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $483.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.35 and a beta of 0.13. Benitec Biopharma has a 12 month low of $9.85 and a 12 month high of $17.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.64.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last issued 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). As a group, equities analysts forecast that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Benitec Biopharma

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 262,205 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after buying an additional 1,786 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 23,211 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. 52.19% of the stock is currently 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.