Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Short Interest Up 18.8% in February

Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 7,801,280 shares, a growth of 18.8% from the January 29th total of 6,568,745 shares. Currently, 17.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 927,276 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 927,276 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.4 days. Currently, 17.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Zenas BioPharma Stock Up 2.5%

ZBIO stock opened at $25.82 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $26.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 5.66 and a current ratio of 5.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.65 and a beta of -1.94. Zenas BioPharma has a one year low of $6.11 and a one year high of $44.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Hongbo Lu bought 25,985 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $22.50 per share, for a total transaction of $584,662.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 347,968 shares in the company, valued at $7,829,280. This trade represents a 8.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 57,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 423,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,599,863.80. The trade was a 15.57% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 202,845 shares of company stock worth $3,747,185 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 16.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 60.8% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,861,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,041,000 after buying an additional 703,838 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 41.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 2,679 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 13.9% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 32.3% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 3,412 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Zenas BioPharma by 71.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 19,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 8,207 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Zenas BioPharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Evercore assumed coverage on Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Zenas BioPharma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.14.

Zenas BioPharma Company Profile

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.