Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) CEO Christopher Kroeger Sells 23,701 Shares of Stock

Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT) CEO Christopher Kroeger sold 23,701 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total value of $681,640.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,580,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,464,383.20. This represents a 1.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Maplight Therapeutics Stock Up 4.0%

NASDAQ MPLT opened at $29.04 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.60. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion and a P/E ratio of -0.73. Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $12.24 and a 12 month high of $33.28.

Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($2.47) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.05) by ($1.42). On average, equities research analysts predict that Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000.

Key Stories Impacting Maplight Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright opened/updated coverage and issued detailed quarterly and FY estimates alongside a Buy rating and a $45 price target (implies ~55% upside from the recent price); the report provides a near‑term analyst catalyst and a bullish valuation anchor. HC Wainwright coverage (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its Buy rating on MPLT, reinforcing sell‑side support that can sustain buying interest. Needham reaffirmation (The Globe and Mail)
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar quote/coverage appears in the tape (useful for tracking consensus/third‑party data) but contains no new fundamental update by itself. Morningstar MPLT quote
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling reported May 4–6: CEO Christopher Kroeger sold multiple blocks (~23,701 shares on May 6 and earlier sales), CFO Vishwas Setia, and insiders James W. Lillie and Erin P. Foff also sold material stakes. These transactions reduce insider holdings and may add near‑term supply pressure, though each sale was made under pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans (which weakens the signal that sales reflect new negative company information). See CEO Form 4 filing. CEO Form 4 (SEC)
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider Form 4 filings for James W. Lillie and Erin P. Foff confirm multi‑day sales at similar prices (May 4–6). Investors should monitor total sold vs. remaining insider ownership and trading volume to gauge impact. James W. Lillie Form 4 (SEC)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on MPLT. Wall Street Zen cut Maplight Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.43.

About Maplight Therapeutics

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.