Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) Director Purchases $642,500.00 in Stock

Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Director Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.85 per share, for a total transaction of $642,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 9,620,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $123,617,963.75. The trade was a 0.52% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Suvretta Capital Management, L also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, December 29th, Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 77,387 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.44 per share, for a total transaction of $1,040,081.28.
• On Friday, December 26th, Suvretta Capital Management, L bought 16,836 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $13.10 per share, for a total transaction of $220,551.60.
• On Monday, December 22nd, Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 19,542 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.08 per share, for a total transaction of $236,067.36.
• On Friday, December 19th, Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 16,384 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.48 per share, for a total transaction of $188,088.32.
• On Thursday, December 18th, Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 10,215 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.24 per share, for a total transaction of $114,816.60.
• On Friday, November 7th, Suvretta Capital Management, L purchased 1,481,481 shares of Benitec Biopharma stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $13.50 per share, for a total transaction of $19,999,993.50.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Down 3.3%

NASDAQ:BNTC opened at $13.47 on Thursday. Benitec Biopharma Limited has a 12-month low of $9.70 and a 12-month high of $17.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $456.09 million, a PE ratio of -11.13 and a beta of 0.20.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.13. On average, research analysts expect that Benitec Biopharma Limited will post -1.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bought a new position in Benitec Biopharma during the first quarter worth about $597,000. Infinitum Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 435.7% in the 1st quarter. Infinitum Asset Management LLC now owns 1,125,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $14,636,000 after buying an additional 915,000 shares in the last quarter. AWM Investment Company Inc. increased its position in Benitec Biopharma by 35.2% during the first quarter. AWM Investment Company Inc. now owns 137,977 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,795,000 after acquiring an additional 35,950 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 77.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 415,211 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,859,000 after purchasing an additional 181,391 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Benitec Biopharma by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 154,414 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,166,000 after acquiring an additional 44,489 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on BNTC shares. Citizens Jmp lifted their price target on Benitec Biopharma from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (down previously from $35.00) on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Benitec Biopharma from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $22.00 price target on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $26.25.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Ltd (NASDAQ: BNTC) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec’s lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.