Cantor Fitzgerald Downgrades Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) to Neutral

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) was downgraded by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Thursday. They presently have a $3.50 target price on the biotechnology company’s stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective would suggest a potential downside of 47.53% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research report on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. B. Riley Financial downgraded shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $10.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Capricor Therapeutics from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Capricor Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.75.

Capricor Therapeutics Stock Performance

CAPR opened at $6.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $386.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.88 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $24.01 and its 200 day moving average is $27.07. Capricor Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $4.30 and a fifty-two week high of $40.37.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.59) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.55) by ($0.04). On average, equities research analysts predict that Capricor Therapeutics will post -0.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Capricor Therapeutics

In related news, CFO Anthony Bergmann sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.70, for a total value of $792,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,223 shares in the company, valued at $260,669.10. This trade represents a 75.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 50,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,551,658. 9.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,040 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. KBC Group NV bought a new position in Capricor Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. ACT Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Capricor Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Nuveen LLC raised its position in Capricor Therapeutics by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 90,951 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 1,878 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its stake in Capricor Therapeutics by 76.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,429 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.68% of the company’s stock.

Key Capricor Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Peer-reviewed data support deramiocel: The Lancet published HOPE-3 Phase 3 results showing that deramiocel slowed upper-limb function decline by 54% versus placebo and produced reported cardiac benefits. Capricor said the publication independently validated the trial’s design, methodology and findings. The Lancet Publishes HOPE-3 Data for Capricor Therapeutics’ Deramiocel in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
• Neutral Sentiment: FDA panel vote is not the final agency decision: Independent advisers recommended against approval of deramiocel for the Duchenne heart-disease indication. The FDA is not required to follow the panel, but the vote is a significant regulatory obstacle. FDA panel votes against Capricor’s Duchenne heart disease therapy
• Negative Sentiment: FDA briefing documents challenged the company’s evidence: Regulators concluded that deramiocel did not demonstrate statistically significant benefits on its prespecified cardiac endpoint, undermining investor confidence despite Capricor’s positive interpretation of the HOPE-3 data.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts turned more cautious: B. Riley and Roth Capital downgraded the stock, followed by Alliance Global Partners’ move from Buy to Neutral with a $7 price target. The downgrades reflect increased uncertainty around approval and commercial prospects.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities-law investigations were announced: Rosen Law Firm, Hagens Berman, Glancy Prongay Wolff, Levi & Korsinsky, Bragar Eagel & Squire, Block & Leviton and Kirby McInerney are soliciting investors or investigating whether Capricor made misleading statements about deramiocel’s efficacy and trial results. These announcements add reputational and potential litigation risk, although no wrongdoing has been established.

About Capricor Therapeutics

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of cell and exosome-based therapeutics for cardiovascular and rare diseases. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the company leverages proprietary cardiosphere-derived cell (CDC) technology to address conditions characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and tissue degeneration. Since its founding, Capricor has advanced its lead candidate through multiple clinical trials and has built a pipeline that spans both cell therapy and extracellular vesicle (exosome) platforms.

The company’s leading product candidate, CAP-1002, comprises allogeneic CDCs and is being evaluated in indications such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and COVID-19-related heart injury.