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

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.6667.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BNTC shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered Benitec Biopharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, HC Wainwright set a $32.00 target price on Benitec Biopharma and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 7.0%

Benitec Biopharma stock traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.34. The company had a trading volume of 251,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 179,109. The firm has a market cap of $389.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.95 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a 50 day moving average of $11.79 and a 200-day moving average of $13.04. Benitec Biopharma has a 52 week low of $9.85 and a 52 week high of $17.15.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.03). On average, analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Benitec Biopharma news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 77,387 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $13.44 per share, with a total value of $1,040,081.28. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,700,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,370,620.80. The trade was a 0.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 190,364 shares of company stock valued at $2,442,105. Corporate insiders own 4.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,339 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the third quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth $80,000. Institutional investors own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

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.