Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,013,075 shares, a decline of 23.0% from the March 31st total of 2,615,841 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 327,990 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 6.1 days. Approximately 3.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AURA traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $7.01. The stock had a trading volume of 205,900 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,349. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $6.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.00. The firm has a market cap of $450.04 million, a P/E ratio of -3.92 and a beta of 0.35. Aura Biosciences has a fifty-two week low of $4.34 and a fifty-two week high of $7.68.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 30th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by $0.06. Equities analysts expect that Aura Biosciences will post -1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on AURA. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Friday, March 27th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Aura Biosciences from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Aura Biosciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.50.

Insider Transactions at Aura Biosciences

In other Aura Biosciences news, insider Conor Kilroy sold 12,079 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total value of $60,998.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 167,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,531.70. The trade was a 6.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Mark Plavsic sold 15,890 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total value of $80,244.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 181,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $916,054.85. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 116,305 shares of company stock worth $611,230. 6.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Aura Biosciences by 49.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Water Island Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the third quarter worth $64,000. 49 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the third quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the second quarter worth $76,000. 96.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical?stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus?like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company’s platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non?ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near?infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti?tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.