Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) Shares Shorted: Short Interest Up 160.0% in September

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRIS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 179,462 shares, an increase of 160.0% from the September 15th total of 69,025 shares. Approximately 9.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 176,280 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Curis from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Curis in a report on Monday, August 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Curis in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Curis from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Curis Stock Down 4.9%

Curis stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $0.61. 130,008 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,983. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 million, a P/E ratio of -0.04 and a beta of 3.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $6.35. Curis has a fifty-two week low of $0.59 and a fifty-two week high of $33.60.

Curis (NASDAQ:CRIS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($4.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($6.95) by $2.93. Research analysts expect that Curis will post -15.65 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRIS. Focused Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of Curis by 83.4% in the first quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc now owns 109,746 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 49,900 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Curis in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Curis by 52.2% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 366,740 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 125,823 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in Curis in the 2nd quarter valued at about $128,000. Finally, Cable Car Capital LP acquired a new stake in Curis during the second quarter worth approximately $696,000. Institutional investors own 29.97% of the company’s stock.

Curis Company Profile

Curis, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer. The company’s research programs target biological pathways involved in tumor growth, survival and immune regulation, with the goal of addressing cancers that have limited treatment options.

Curis’ lead investigational product is emavusertib, also known as CA-4948, an oral inhibitor of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK4). The compound has been evaluated in clinical studies for hematologic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, as well as certain solid tumors.