Clene Inc. (NASDAQ:CLNN) Short Interest Up 45.7% in January

Clene Inc. (NASDAQ:CLNN) was the target of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 752,820 shares, an increase of 45.7% from the December 31st total of 516,750 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 137,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.5 days. Approximately 10.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 10.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 137,237 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.5 days.

Clene Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CLNN opened at $4.09 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $6.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.38 million, a PE ratio of -1.21 and a beta of 0.87. Clene has a 52 week low of $2.28 and a 52 week high of $13.50.

Clene (NASDAQ:CLNN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported ($0.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $0.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $0.06 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Clene will post -5.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clene

In other Clene news, major shareholder Chidozie Ugwumba sold 8,717 shares of Clene stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.91, for a total transaction of $42,800.47. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 580,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,849,415.39. The trade was a 1.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David J. Matlin purchased 33,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.50 per share, with a total value of $216,664.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 477,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,105,856. This represents a 7.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 494,910 shares of company stock worth $3,016,508 in the last ninety days. 35.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Clene

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp acquired a new position in shares of Clene during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Clene in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Lunt Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Clene by 71.2% during the second quarter. Lunt Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 21,217 shares during the period. Finally, Scoggin Management LP increased its position in Clene by 42.8% during the second quarter. Scoggin Management LP now owns 142,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 42,750 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CLNN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Clene in a report on Friday, January 9th. D. Boral Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of Clene in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Clene in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Clene in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.60.

About Clene

Clene (NASDAQ: CLNN), also known as Clene Nanomedicine, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary nanoparticle therapies aimed at treating neurodegenerative and demyelinating disorders. The company’s flagship product, CNM-Au8, is a suspension of catalytic gold nanocrystals designed to enhance cellular energy metabolism, promote remyelination, and reduce oxidative stress. Clene’s platform leverages the unique physicochemical properties of its nanoparticles to support neuronal health, with a focus on diseases that currently lack effective disease-modifying treatments.

Clene’s lead candidate, CNM-Au8, is undergoing multiple clinical trials targeting conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS).