Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) Earns “Buy” Rating from JonesTrading

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by research analysts at JonesTrading in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a $30.00 target price on the stock. JonesTrading’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 280.71% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Precision BioSciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.33.

Precision BioSciences Stock Performance

Precision BioSciences stock opened at $7.88 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $5.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 13.32 and a current ratio of 13.32. Precision BioSciences has a fifty-two week low of $3.53 and a fifty-two week high of $8.82. The company has a market capitalization of $203.30 million, a PE ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 1.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Precision BioSciences news, CFO John Alexander Kelly sold 15,213 shares of Precision BioSciences stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total value of $61,308.39. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 106,448 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $428,985.44. The trade was a 12.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider J. Jefferson Smith sold 10,200 shares of Precision BioSciences stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total transaction of $41,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 110,184 shares in the company, valued at $444,041.52. This represents a 8.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 93,845 shares of company stock valued at $376,677. 4.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 5.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 77,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $326,000 after purchasing an additional 4,025 shares during the last quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 0.6% in the third quarter. Lynx1 Capital Management LP now owns 1,042,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,755,000 after purchasing an additional 6,545 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 68,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 8,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Precision BioSciences in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 37.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Precision BioSciences Company Profile

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company’s pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.