Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) Cut to “Neutral” at Alliance Global Partners

Alliance Global Partners lowered shares of Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $7.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on CAPR. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a report on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Capricor Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Roth Capital cut Capricor Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $7.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Capricor Therapeutics has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $29.15.

Capricor Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of CAPR stock opened at $4.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $242.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.81 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.93. Capricor Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $2.96 and a 1-year high of $40.37.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.59) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.55) by ($0.04). Analysts anticipate that Capricor Therapeutics will post -0.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Anthony Bergmann sold 24,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.38, for a total transaction of $732,158.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 11,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,954.74. This represents a 68.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 25,000 shares of company stock worth $759,158 over the last ninety days. 9.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Capricor Therapeutics by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,561,880 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $73,936,000 after acquiring an additional 355,161 shares in the last quarter. Suvretta Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,533,000. Tang Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,062,000. RA Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,516,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,017,332 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $29,367,000 after purchasing an additional 55,766 shares in the last quarter. 21.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Capricor Therapeutics News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Supportive clinical data: The Lancet published HOPE-3 Phase 3 results, reporting that deramiocel met the study’s primary endpoint and slowed upper-limb function decline by 54% versus placebo, while also showing potential cardiac benefits. The Lancet Publishes HOPE-3 Data
• Neutral Sentiment: The FDA vote is non-binding: Capricor said the advisory committee voted 3-9 that available evidence did not support deramiocel’s effectiveness for DMD cardiomyopathy. The FDA is not required to follow the panel’s recommendation, but the vote signals a substantial regulatory hurdle ahead of the agency’s final decision. Capricor FDA Advisory Committee Update
• Negative Sentiment: FDA questioned the company’s efficacy claims: FDA briefing materials reportedly concluded that deramiocel failed to demonstrate statistically significant benefits on its prespecified cardiac endpoint, creating a data dispute with Capricor’s interpretation of the HOPE-3 results. Capricor Duchenne Cell Therapy Voted Down
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut ratings and targets: Oppenheimer, Maxim Group, Cantor Fitzgerald, Ladenburg Thalmann and Alliance Global Partners downgraded the stock following the vote. Cantor assigned a $3.50 target, implying additional downside from the cited share price. Capricor Downgraded at Oppenheimer
• Negative Sentiment: Investor investigations add pressure: Multiple law firms announced investigations into possible securities-law violations and alleged misleading statements regarding deramiocel’s trial results. These announcements do not establish wrongdoing, but they increase legal and reputational risk. Capricor Plummets After FDA Panel Vote

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.