Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) Shares Up 8.9% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZBIO) traded up 8.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $20.08 and last traded at $19.76. 203,275 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 1,248,051 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on ZBIO shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Zenas BioPharma from $27.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Zenas BioPharma from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Zenas BioPharma in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Zenas BioPharma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.14.

Zenas BioPharma Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 5.66 and a quick ratio of 5.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.26. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 billion, a PE ratio of -2.79 and a beta of -1.47.

Zenas BioPharma (NASDAQ:ZBIO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported ($1.22) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.87) by ($0.35).

Insider Transactions at Zenas BioPharma

In related news, CEO Leon O. Moulder, Jr. bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $16.38 per share, with a total value of $819,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 316,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,178,618.90. This represents a 18.79% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have bought 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,639,000 over the last three months. Company insiders own 16.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Zenas BioPharma

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ZBIO. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Zenas BioPharma by 34.5% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,134 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Zenas BioPharma in the third quarter valued at $30,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Zenas BioPharma in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 1,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Zenas BioPharma by 48.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 709 shares in the last quarter.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies in oncology and infectious diseases. The company’s proprietary platform integrates structure-guided design, computational modeling and high-throughput screening to address challenging protein-protein interactions. Zenas BioPharma is advancing multiple preclinical and clinical-stage candidates aimed at providing new treatment options where current modalities may be limited by efficacy or safety concerns.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Zenas BioPharma was built to streamline the drug discovery process from target identification through to IND-enabling studies.