Short Interest in Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) Decreases By 72.2%

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATRA) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 282,525 shares, a drop of 72.2% from the January 15th total of 1,016,616 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 351,029 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days. Currently, 4.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 4.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 351,029 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.8 days.

Atara Biotherapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of ATRA opened at $4.45 on Friday. Atara Biotherapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $4.20 and a fifty-two week high of $19.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.43. The stock has a market cap of $32.08 million, a PE ratio of 2.04 and a beta of -0.43.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.83) by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $3.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.74 million. Atara Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 41.78% and a net margin of 15.40%. Equities research analysts predict that Atara Biotherapeutics will post -10.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Innovation Ltd Panacea sold 80,554 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.07, for a total transaction of $488,962.78. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,324,446 shares in the company, valued at $8,039,387.22. This trade represents a 5.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Anhco Nguyen sold 2,915 shares of Atara Biotherapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.19, for a total value of $38,448.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 64,974 shares in the company, valued at $857,007.06. This trade represents a 4.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 87,077 shares of company stock worth $575,001. Company insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atara Biotherapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ATRA. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $181,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $327,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its stake in Atara Biotherapeutics by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 26,213 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 6,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 2.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,136 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 1,457 shares during the last quarter. 70.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ATRA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. New Street Research set a $6.00 price target on Atara Biotherapeutics in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective (down previously from $25.00) on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Atara Biotherapeutics currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.00.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel T-cell immunotherapies to transform the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, Atara leverages its proprietary off-the-shelf allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-directed T-cell platform to generate engineered cell therapies designed to target EBV-driven malignancies and immune-mediated disorders.

The company’s lead product candidate, tabelecleucel, is an off-the-shelf, EBV-specific T-cell therapy in clinical development for the treatment of EBV-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and other EBV-associated cancers.