Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.75.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. HC Wainwright reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on Geron from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th.

Geron Price Performance

GERN opened at $1.53 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.96, a quick ratio of 4.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $976.68 million, a P/E ratio of -12.75 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.30. Geron has a 12-month low of $1.04 and a 12-month high of $2.96.

Geron (NASDAQ:GERN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03). The company had revenue of $47.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.24 million. Geron had a negative return on equity of 29.63% and a negative net margin of 43.61%. Equities analysts predict that Geron will post -0.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geron

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 55 North Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Geron in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. LCM Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Geron by 80.6% in the 4th quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 22,400 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Geron by 73.6% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 26,371 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 11,182 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Geron by 73.8% during the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 26,074 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 11,074 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Geron during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.71% of the company’s stock.

About Geron

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company’s research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.