Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYEL)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $22.46, but opened at $23.40. Lyell Immunopharma shares last traded at $24.31, with a volume of 41,086 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citizens Jmp started coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research note on Monday. They issued a “market outperform” rating and a $34.00 price target for the company. HC Wainwright raised shares of Lyell Immunopharma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $20.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.50.

Lyell Immunopharma Stock Up 15.8%

The business’s fifty day moving average is $24.85 and its 200 day moving average is $21.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $552.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.13 and a beta of -0.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lyell Immunopharma

In other Lyell Immunopharma news, insider Gary K. Lee sold 1,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $39,084.69. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,179.82. The trade was a 8.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lynn Seely sold 7,455 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $174,372.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 74,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,737,081.74. This trade represents a 9.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 11,310 shares of company stock valued at $264,285 in the last 90 days. 22.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lyell Immunopharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lyell Immunopharma by 773.5% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 174,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 154,327 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Lyell Immunopharma in the second quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Lyell Immunopharma in the second quarter valued at approximately $159,000. BBR Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lyell Immunopharma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lyell Immunopharma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $258,000. 66.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lyell Immunopharma

Lyell Immunopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation T cell therapies for cancer. Leveraging a proprietary platform that combines cell therapy, gene editing and molecular discovery, Lyell seeks to overcome key barriers in the treatment of solid tumors. The company’s approach centers on engineering T cells to enhance their persistence, functionality and resistance to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

The company’s pipeline includes multiple autologous T cell programs engineered to target tumor-associated antigens in solid malignancies such as melanoma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.