Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) Trading Up 3.8% – Time to Buy?

Precision BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTIL) was up 3.8% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $8.24 and last traded at $8.18. Approximately 600,930 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 19% from the average daily volume of 503,447 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on DTIL shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Precision BioSciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. JonesTrading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Precision BioSciences from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Precision BioSciences in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Precision BioSciences in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.25.

Precision BioSciences Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 14.02, a current ratio of 14.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $211.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.23 and a beta of 1.25.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported ($0.75) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.66) by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $10.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.05 million. Precision BioSciences had a negative net margin of 96.73% and a negative return on equity of 85.37%. Analysts expect that Precision BioSciences, Inc. will post -2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Octagon Capital Advisors LP boosted its stake in Precision BioSciences by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Octagon Capital Advisors LP now owns 2,236,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,302,000 after purchasing an additional 318,737 shares during the period. Empery Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Precision BioSciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,130,000. Aberdeen Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Precision BioSciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,897,000. Bleichroeder LP raised its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 54.7% in the fourth quarter. Bleichroeder LP now owns 1,662,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,916,000 after buying an additional 587,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Precision BioSciences by 497.1% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 1,066,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,435,000 after buying an additional 887,515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 37.99% of the company’s stock.

Precision BioSciences Company Profile

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company’s pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.