Insider Selling: Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) CEO Sells 15,571 Shares of Stock

Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT) CEO Christopher Kroeger sold 15,571 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.96, for a total transaction of $435,365.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,614,993 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,155,204.28. This represents a 0.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Maplight Therapeutics Trading Up 4.0%

Maplight Therapeutics stock traded up $1.12 on Wednesday, hitting $29.04. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 267,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 342,018. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.73. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.60. Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $12.24 and a one year high of $33.28.

Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($2.47) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.05) by ($1.42). On average, analysts predict that Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MPLT. HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a “sell (e)” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Maplight Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.43.

Key Maplight Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its “Buy” rating on MPLT, signaling continued analyst conviction that the shares have upside. Needham Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright initiated/updated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $45 price target (roughly mid‑50% upside from recent levels), which can attract buyers and support the rally. Many outlets reported the new coverage and target. HC Wainwright Coverage & Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar and market quote pages show current trading context (price, volume, 50‑day moving average) that traders use to gauge technical support/resistance. Use these pages for up‑to‑date quotes. Morningstar Quote
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright’s detailed forecasts also project larger net losses over 2026–2027 (FY2026 EPS ~ -$4.34; FY2027 EPS ~ -$5.25) and quarterly losses through 2027 — data that underscores continued cash‑burn and execution risk for a clinical‑stage biotech. This raises downside risk if clinical or financing progress stalls. Analyst Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Recent reported results included a sizable Q1 EPS miss (reported -$2.47 vs. consensus -$1.05), which remains a reminder of earnings volatility and could pressure sentiment if follow‑up data or guidance are weak. Recent Earnings Miss

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Maplight Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $172,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $93,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Maplight Therapeutics by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 39,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $802,000 after purchasing an additional 3,608 shares during the period. Finally, 5AM Venture Management LLC bought a new position in Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $16,687,000.

Maplight Therapeutics Company Profile

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating central nervous system, or CNS, disorders. We were founded by globally recognized leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience research to address the lack of circuit-specific pharmacotherapies available for patients. Our discovery platform holds the potential to fill this void by identifying neural circuits causally linked to disease and targeting those circuits for therapeutic modulation.