Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday.

BNTC has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Evercore assumed coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush assumed coverage on Benitec Biopharma in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim cut Benitec Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $24.80.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BNTC opened at $12.15 on Friday. Benitec Biopharma has a 1 year low of $9.85 and a 1 year high of $16.76. The stock has a market cap of $417.35 million, a P/E ratio of -10.66 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $12.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.81.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.27) by $0.03. On average, equities research analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Benitec Biopharma

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,339 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the 3rd quarter worth $79,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 2,255.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,879 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 6,587 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the 2nd quarter worth $80,000. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Ltd (NASDAQ: BNTC) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company’s proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec’s lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.