Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASMB) Insider Anuj Gaggar Sells 2,593 Shares of Company Stock

Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB) insider Anuj Gaggar sold 2,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.62, for a total value of $50,874.66. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 53,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,055,556. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Assembly Biosciences Stock Performance

Shares of Assembly Biosciences stock opened at $19.92 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.12. Assembly Biosciences, Inc. has a one year low of $19.25 and a one year high of $39.71. The company has a market cap of $405.57 million, a PE ratio of 19.13 and a beta of 1.26.

Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASMB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.20) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.52. Assembly Biosciences had a negative net margin of 0.06% and a negative return on equity of 0.02%. The firm had revenue of $13.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Assembly Biosciences, Inc. will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Assembly Biosciences News

Here are the key news stories impacting Assembly Biosciences this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $48 from $52 but kept its Buy rating, leaving a favorable recommendation alongside a more cautious valuation. UBS price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Jason Okazaki and three other insiders sold shares, but the reported sales were to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards—rather than identified open-market sales. The transactions may draw attention but provide limited evidence of a change in company outlook. CEO SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Assembly Biosciences said senior management will participate in one-on-one meetings and present at investor conferences in November; no new business or clinical update was announced. Conference announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ASMB. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Assembly Biosciences from $52.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho set a $53.00 target price on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Assembly Biosciences from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.50.

Institutional Trading of Assembly Biosciences

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Assembly Biosciences by 113.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 10,902 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 5,792 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Assembly Biosciences by 69.4% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 15,651 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 6,411 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its holdings in shares of Assembly Biosciences by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 17,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 8,343 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Assembly Biosciences in the 2nd quarter valued at $660,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in shares of Assembly Biosciences by 43.7% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 34,214 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $940,000 after buying an additional 10,410 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.92% of the company’s stock.

Assembly Biosciences Company Profile

Assembly Biosciences, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing oral therapeutics for serious viral infections. The company’s research programs target chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and herpesvirus infections, including herpes simplex virus (HSV), with the goal of addressing diseases for which existing treatments may not provide adequate cures or long-term control.

Assembly’s pipeline includes novel antiviral candidates designed to interfere with essential stages of viral replication.