Short Interest in Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) Grows By 39.7%

Candel Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CADL) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 12,985,515 shares, a growth of 39.7% from the February 12th total of 9,295,851 shares. Currently, 28.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,921,439 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,921,439 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days. Currently, 28.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CADL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on Candel Therapeutics from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Candel Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Candel Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Candel Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.00.

Trending Headlines about Candel Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Candel Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $25.00 price target (~435% upside vs. the current $4.67), supporting bullish sentiment and potential buying interest. Canaccord Genuity Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup kept a “buy” rating while trimming its price target to $22.00 (still ~371% upside), which can lend confidence to momentum investors despite the lower PT. Citigroup Price Target Cut
• Positive Sentiment: Company update: Candel outlined progress advancing its lead cancer immunotherapy toward potential commercialization, announced planned Phase 3 trials and a regulatory filing timeline, and described actions to strengthen the balance sheet—news that supports long-term value drivers. Corporate Update & Balance Sheet
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in recent feeds shows zero shares and NaN changes (likely a reporting anomaly); this makes it hard to read short-seller pressure from public data today. (No reliable short-interest link available.)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 earnings miss: Candel reported ($0.54) EPS vs. consensus ($0.24) loss, a material miss that likely triggered selling by near-term traders concerned about cash burn and near-term execution. Q4 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: Debt covenant risk: An analyst note flagged restrictive covenants in the RTW purchase agreement that could limit financial flexibility and raise default risk—this increases investor concern about financing options and downside risk. RTW Covenant Risk Note

Candel Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CADL traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $4.67. 1,362,344 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,584,867. The company’s 50-day moving average is $5.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.43. Candel Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $4.25 and a 1 year high of $9.08. The company has a market capitalization of $256.38 million, a P/E ratio of -6.58 and a beta of -0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 8.25 and a quick ratio of 8.25.

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.54) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by ($0.30). On average, equities analysts anticipate that Candel Therapeutics will post -1.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul B. Manning bought 550,458 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $5.45 per share, for a total transaction of $2,999,996.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,763,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,061,222.15. The trade was a 24.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 16.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Candel Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CADL. Acorn Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Candel Therapeutics by 19.9% in the second quarter. Acorn Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,580,517 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,057,000 after buying an additional 428,265 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Candel Therapeutics by 12.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,007,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,236,000 after buying an additional 219,563 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Candel Therapeutics by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 977,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,524,000 after purchasing an additional 49,315 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Candel Therapeutics by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 792,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,476,000 after buying an additional 103,452 shares during the period. Finally, Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Candel Therapeutics by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Halter Ferguson Financial Inc. now owns 748,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,227,000 after buying an additional 50,051 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.93% of the company’s stock.

Candel Therapeutics Company Profile

Candel Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CADL) is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the development of next-generation oncolytic viral therapies designed to treat solid tumors. The company’s lead candidate, CAN-2409, is a locally administered, gene-delivered viral therapy engineered to selectively replicate in cancer cells and induce immunogenic cell death. Candel leverages proprietary virus engineering platforms to enhance tumor-specific replication and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with high unmet medical needs.

In addition to its lead program, Candel’s pipeline includes CAN-3110, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus targeting recurrent high-grade glioma, and other novel viral constructs being explored for a variety of solid tumor indications.