Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD) Shares Up 12% – Should You Buy?

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) was up 12% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $13.03 and last traded at $12.65. Approximately 152,066 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 186,140 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AARD. William Blair began coverage on Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer began coverage on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.64.

Aardvark Therapeutics Trading Up 12.0%

The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.19. The firm has a market cap of $275.39 million and a P/E ratio of -5.97.

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

Insider Activity at Aardvark Therapeutics

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $4,248,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $1,951,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 20.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 555,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,386,000 after acquiring an additional 94,744 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Aardvark Therapeutics by 129.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 136,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,851,000 after acquiring an additional 77,327 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 76,151 shares during the period.

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.