Investors Buy High Volume of Put Options on Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR)

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 5,674 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 171% compared to the average daily volume of 2,094 put options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Anthony Bergmann sold 24,100 shares of Capricor Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.38, for a total value of $732,158.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 11,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,954.74. This trade represents a 68.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,551,658. Company insiders own 9.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Capricor Therapeutics by 13.2% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 36,330 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after buying an additional 4,240 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Capricor Therapeutics by 672.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 415,483 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $12,631,000 after acquiring an additional 361,664 shares during the last quarter. Stempoint Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 110.6% in the 1st quarter. Stempoint Capital LP now owns 37,592 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 19,739 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $687,000. Finally, Ally Bridge Group NY LLC bought a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,463,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.68% of the company’s stock.

Capricor Therapeutics Stock Down 5.4%

NASDAQ:CAPR traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $21.96. 678,066 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,270,188. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $28.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.28. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of -9.43 and a beta of 0.42. Capricor Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $4.30 and a 12-month high of $40.37.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.59) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by ($0.04). Analysts anticipate that Capricor Therapeutics will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 15th. B. Riley Financial upped their price target on shares of Capricor Therapeutics from $50.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a report on Friday, May 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Capricor Therapeutics and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Capricor Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.67.

Capricor Therapeutics Company Profile

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of cell and exosome-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and rare diseases. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the company leverages proprietary cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) technology to address conditions characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and tissue degeneration. Since its founding, Capricor has advanced its lead candidate through multiple clinical trials and has built a pipeline that spans both cell therapy and extracellular vesicle (exosome) platforms.

The company’s leading product candidate, CAP-1002, comprises allogeneic CDCs and is being evaluated in indications such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and COVID-19-related heart injury.