Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORKA) Short Interest Up 30.8% in December

Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORKA) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,626,531 shares, an increase of 30.8% from the December 15th total of 5,830,860 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 904,485 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.4 days. Approximately 20.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 20.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 904,485 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 8.4 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Joana Goncalves sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.81, for a total value of $222,670.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,518 shares in the company, valued at $48,287.58. This trade represents a 82.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 24.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Oruka Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in Oruka Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,280,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Oruka Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $25,640,000. Deep Track Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Oruka Therapeutics by 38.4% during the third quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 2,654,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,051,000 after purchasing an additional 735,983 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Oruka Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $13,911,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Oruka Therapeutics by 100.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 707,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,932,000 after purchasing an additional 354,821 shares during the period. 56.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Oruka Therapeutics Trading Up 2.8%

ORKA stock traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $33.40. 715,063 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 667,615. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $29.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.18. Oruka Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $5.49 and a 12-month high of $33.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.58 and a beta of -0.39.

Oruka Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ORKA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported ($0.55) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.56) by $0.01. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Oruka Therapeutics will post -3.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ORKA shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Barclays began coverage on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, October 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Oruka Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, November 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Oruka Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.67.

Oruka Therapeutics Company Profile

Oruka Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel peptide‐based therapies for oncology. The company’s proprietary stapled peptide platform is designed to selectively disrupt intracellular protein–protein interactions that drive tumor growth and immune evasion. By combining the specificity of biologics with the cell‐permeability of small molecules, Oruka aims to target cancer pathways that have been historically considered “undruggable.”

The company’s lead candidate, ONCT-01, is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors, assessing safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy.