Wall Street Zen Upgrades Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ:DVAX) to “Strong-Buy”

Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ:DVAX) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on DVAX. William Blair lowered Dynavax Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Dynavax Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dynavax Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.33.

Dynavax Technologies Stock Performance

DVAX opened at $15.50 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $14.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $11.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 7.62 and a quick ratio of 6.94. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -41.89 and a beta of 0.97. Dynavax Technologies has a 1-year low of $9.20 and a 1-year high of $15.73.

Insider Transactions at Dynavax Technologies

In other news, COO David F. Novack sold 114,000 shares of Dynavax Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.64, for a total value of $1,782,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 63,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $990,700.16. This trade represents a 64.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dynavax Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Dynavax Technologies by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 86,421 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in Dynavax Technologies during the first quarter valued at $180,000. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Dynavax Technologies during the first quarter valued at $225,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Dynavax Technologies by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 450,089 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,838,000 after acquiring an additional 29,764 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Dynavax Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth about $107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.96% of the company’s stock.

Dynavax Technologies Company Profile

Dynavax Technologies Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel vaccines and immunotherapies. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the company specializes in leveraging its proprietary Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist platform to enhance immune responses. Its lead product, HEPLISAV-B, is a two-dose hepatitis B vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that incorporates the CpG 1018 adjuvant to stimulate a rapid and robust antibody response in adults.

Founded in 1993, Dynavax has built a pipeline that extends beyond hepatitis B to include candidates targeting seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and emerging infectious diseases.