Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ:DNLI) Price Target Raised to $40.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ:DNLI) had its target price boosted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $35.00 to $40.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Denali Therapeutics from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Denali Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Denali Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Denali Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Denali Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Denali Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.82.

Denali Therapeutics Trading Down 12.1%

Shares of NASDAQ DNLI opened at $19.74 on Thursday. Denali Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $10.57 and a 1-year high of $23.77. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $20.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.65 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 9.16 and a quick ratio of 9.16.

Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ:DNLI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.75) by $0.02. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.67) earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Denali Therapeutics will post -2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Alexander O. Schuth sold 17,218 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $284,097.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 282,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,666,662. This trade represents a 5.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ryan J. Watts sold 35,198 shares of Denali Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.50, for a total value of $580,767.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 296,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,897,744.50. This trade represents a 10.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Denali Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Denali Therapeutics by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 88,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after acquiring an additional 3,432 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Denali Therapeutics by 58.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,672,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,732,000 after purchasing an additional 614,555 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Denali Therapeutics by 11.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 2,052 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Denali Therapeutics by 13.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 113,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after purchasing an additional 13,517 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Denali Therapeutics by 120.1% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 4,494 shares during the last quarter. 92.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Denali Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Denali Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA accelerated approval of AVLAYAH (tividenofusp alfa‑eknm), Denali’s first commercial drug and the first transferrin‑receptor (brain‑penetrant) biologic for Hunter syndrome; approval includes a Rare Pediatric Disease PRV and Denali is launching U.S. commercialization and patient support services. GlobeNewswire: DNLI FDA Approval Zacks: Denali Wins FDA Nod
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages boosted price targets and ratings today (Morgan Stanley to $42/overweight; Goldman Sachs to $40/buy; Stifel to $41/buy; BTIG, HC Wainwright, Baird also raised targets), signaling strong analyst conviction about AVLAYAH’s commercial and platform upside. Benzinga: Analyst Coverage Roundup
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted/announced a conference call and webcast to discuss approval and launch plans; an investor webcast and Seeking Alpha transcript provide additional color on commercialization timing, pricing strategy and the COMPASS confirmatory trial. Seeking Alpha: AVLAYAH Launch Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: The FDA approval is accelerated and based on a biomarker (CSF heparan sulfate); continued approval may be contingent on confirmatory Phase 2/3 COMPASS trial results — this creates execution and regulatory risk that could weigh on the stock if confirmatory data are delayed or mixed. GlobeNewswire: Approval Details & Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show recent insider sales and significant institutional portfolio moves (large reductions by some funds reported), which can create near‑term supply pressure and headline risk despite the approval. QuiverQuant: Insider & Institutional Activity

About Denali Therapeutics

Denali Therapeutics is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. The company’s research leverages a proprietary Blood–Brain Barrier Transport Vehicle (TV) platform designed to enable large molecules, including antibodies and enzymes, to penetrate the central nervous system. Denali’s approach includes small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy candidates aimed at key drivers of disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia.

Among Denali’s lead programs is an orally delivered leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitor for Parkinson’s disease, and an anti‐TREM2 antibody designed to modulate microglial activity in Alzheimer’s patients.