Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE) Trading Up 15.7% – Still a Buy?

Pulse Biosciences, Inc (NASDAQ:PLSE)’s share price rose 15.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $43.43 and last traded at $44.2560. 166,933 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 337,567 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.24.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PLSE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Pulse Biosciences in a report on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Pulse Biosciences in a report on Thursday, June 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Pulse Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pulse Biosciences from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.33.

Pulse Biosciences Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of -35.94 and a beta of 1.61. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.64.

Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.36) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $0.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $0.53 million. Pulse Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 100.22% and a negative net margin of 6,755.78%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pulse Biosciences, Inc will post -1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pulse Biosciences

In other Pulse Biosciences news, Director Robert W. Duggan purchased 660,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.69 per share, with a total value of $12,999,987.77. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 48,211,433 shares in the company, valued at approximately $949,283,115.77. This trade represents a 1.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Paul A. Laviolette purchased 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $19.69 per share, with a total value of $295,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $295,350. The trade was a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 74.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PLSE. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Pulse Biosciences by 63.6% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Pulse Biosciences by 275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 2,156 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Pulse Biosciences by 13.8% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,106 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Pulse Biosciences in the second quarter valued at $158,000. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Pulse Biosciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $215,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.95% of the company’s stock.

About Pulse Biosciences

Pulse Biosciences, Inc is a clinical-stage bioelectric medicine company that develops and commercializes medical devices based on its proprietary Tissue NanoPoration (TNP) platform. The company’s core technology, NanoPulse Stimulation (NPS), delivers ultrashort, high-voltage electric pulses to targeted tissue, triggering cellular responses without the thermal damage associated with traditional energy-based devices. Pulse Biosciences focuses on applications in dermatology and aesthetic medicine, where controlled ablation of unwanted lesions is critical.

The company’s flagship product, the CellFX® System, is designed to treat a range of benign and malignant skin lesions, including seborrheic keratosis, non-melanoma skin cancers, and various epidermal and dermal lesions.