Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) Short Interest Down 17.0% in January

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ:GERN) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 58,456,685 shares, a drop of 17.0% from the January 15th total of 70,452,831 shares. Currently, 9.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 12,596,651 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 12,596,651 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 9.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Geron Stock Performance

Geron stock traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1.80. 20,502,036 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,242,712. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 4.87 and a current ratio of 5.96. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.00 and a beta of 0.62. Geron has a 12-month low of $1.04 and a 12-month high of $2.70. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Geron

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Abel Hall LLC purchased a new position in Geron in the 4th quarter valued at $58,000. RA Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Geron by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. RA Capital Management L.P. now owns 63,771,366 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $84,178,000 after acquiring an additional 3,392,000 shares during the period. Amundi purchased a new stake in shares of Geron in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Geron by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 312,027 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 23,189 shares during the period. Finally, Atom Investors LP raised its holdings in Geron by 137.0% during the fourth quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 37,341 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 21,588 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GERN shares. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Geron in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Geron in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on Geron from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.75.

Geron Company Profile

Geron Corporation (NASDAQ: GERN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel treatments that target telomerase, an enzyme critical to cancer cell immortality. The company’s research is focused on hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, with a pipeline designed to address diseases that have historically had limited therapeutic options.

The lead product candidate, imetelstat, is a first-in-class telomerase inhibitor currently in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for myelofibrosis and myelodysplastic syndromes.