Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Shares Gap Up Following Insider Buying Activity

Shares of Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday following insider buying activity. The stock had previously closed at $19.72, but opened at $21.21. Zenas BioPharma shares last traded at $21.70, with a volume of 247,461 shares.

Specifically, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 57,000 shares of Zenas BioPharma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.96 per share, for a total transaction of $1,023,720.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 423,155 shares in the company, valued at $7,599,863.80. This trade represents a 15.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on ZBIO shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Zenas BioPharma from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Zenas BioPharma from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $37.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.14.

Key Stories Impacting Zenas BioPharma

Here are the key news stories impacting Zenas BioPharma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO insider buy — Zenas’ CEO Leon Moulder Jr. purchased 57,000 shares (?$1.02M at ~$17.96/share), increasing his stake ~15.6%, a strong signal of management confidence that likely helped lift the stock. Insider Buy Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus supports upside — Aggregate analyst coverage shows a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an above?current average target (MarketBeat data cited ~ $43.14 average target), which can attract momentum buyers and funds. Analyst Consensus Article
• Positive Sentiment: Investor presentation scheduled — Management will present at the Guggenheim Emerging Outlook: Biotech Summit on Feb. 11, increasing near?term investor access and the chance for new data/clarity that could support the stock. Summit Presentation Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings — Zenas is projected to post quarterly results this week; the print and guidance will be a catalyst and could swing sentiment. Investors should watch revenue, cash runway commentary and any program updates. Earnings Projection Article
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigation — Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into Zenas on Feb. 3, creating litigation risk and possible reputational/financial uncertainty that can cap upside or increase volatility. Pomerantz Investigation Article

Zenas BioPharma Trading Up 10.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 5.66, a current ratio of 5.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.07 and a beta of -1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $30.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.30.

Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported ($1.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by ($0.35).

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 41.2% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 2,679 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 373,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,621,000 after buying an additional 16,461 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Zenas BioPharma by 71.3% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 8,207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 60.8% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,861,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,041,000 after buying an additional 703,838 shares during the last quarter.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies in oncology and infectious diseases. The company’s proprietary platform integrates structure-guided design, computational modeling and high-throughput screening to address challenging protein-protein interactions. Zenas BioPharma is advancing multiple preclinical and clinical-stage candidates aimed at providing new treatment options where current modalities may be limited by efficacy or safety concerns.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zenas BioPharma was built to streamline the drug discovery process from target identification through to IND-enabling studies.