Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) Short Interest Up 17.6% in February

Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 174,800 shares, a growth of 17.6% from the February 13th total of 148,700 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 49,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 0.8% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ BNTC opened at $15.52 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $10.82. Benitec Biopharma has a twelve month low of $4.75 and a twelve month high of $16.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.96 million, a P/E ratio of -10.28 and a beta of 0.92.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.36) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.55) by $0.19. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BNTC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Baird R W raised Benitec Biopharma to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $24.43.

Insider Transactions at Benitec Biopharma

In other Benitec Biopharma news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 27,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $10.98 per share, with a total value of $301,971.96. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,981,725 shares in the company, valued at $87,639,340.50. This trade represents a 0.35 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Suvretta Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC now owns 8,960,009 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $113,165,000 after purchasing an additional 130,956 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 269.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,939,287 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,123,000 after buying an additional 2,142,643 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 198.5% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,616,427 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $33,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,739,904 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 134.4% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,972,524 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $24,913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,131,129 shares during the period. Finally, Infinitum Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Benitec Biopharma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,652,000. 52.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Benitec Biopharma Company Profile

Benitec Biopharma Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on the development of novel genetic medicines. The company develops DNA-directed RNA interference-based therapeutics for chronic and life-threatening human conditions. It is developing BB-301, an adeno-associated virus based gene therapy agent for treating oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.