Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Receives “Buy” Rating from BTIG Research

Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at BTIG Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $26.00 price objective on the stock. BTIG Research’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 102.33% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on AARD. William Blair began coverage on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.64.

Aardvark Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AARD traded down $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.85. The stock had a trading volume of 72,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 172,648. Aardvark Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $4.88 and a 1-year high of $19.58. The stock has a market cap of $279.74 million and a PE ratio of -6.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $13.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.17.

Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported ($0.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.82) by $0.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aardvark Therapeutics

In other Aardvark Therapeutics news, CFO Nelson Sun acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $14.40 per share, with a total value of $43,200.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 108,484 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,562,169.60. This trade represents a 2.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Tien-Li Lee acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.48 per share, for a total transaction of $101,360.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,551,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,467,356.24. This trade represents a 0.45% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Institutional Trading of Aardvark Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 1,359,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,073,000 after acquiring an additional 76,151 shares in the last quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP now owns 1,049,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,951,000 after purchasing an additional 60,653 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 555,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,386,000 after purchasing an additional 94,744 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aardvark Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,248,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 53.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 297,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,910,000 after buying an additional 103,830 shares during the last quarter.

Aardvark Therapeutics Company Profile

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of the retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ). RORγ plays a central role in T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and inflammatory processes. By targeting this transcription factor, Aardvark aims to address a range of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases.

The company’s lead programs consist of selective RORγ inverse agonists designed to suppress pathogenic Th17-driven responses in conditions such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders.