Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.10 EPS

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) released its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.40) by ($0.10), Zacks reports.

Aura Biosciences Stock Performance

Shares of AURA stock traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $7.88. 181,854 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 347,833. The firm has a market capitalization of $505.58 million, a PE ratio of -4.41 and a beta of 0.37. Aura Biosciences has a 12 month low of $4.34 and a 12 month high of $9.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $6.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $6.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Aura Biosciences from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Insider Activity at Aura Biosciences

In related news, insider Los Pinos Elisabet De sold 47,648 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.06, for a total transaction of $241,098.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 409,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,663.90. The trade was a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Conor Kilroy sold 12,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total value of $60,998.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 167,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,531.70. The trade was a 6.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,039,175 shares of company stock valued at $39,656,217 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AURA. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of Aura Biosciences by 49.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares in the last quarter. Water Island Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Aura Biosciences during the 3rd quarter valued at $64,000. Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in Aura Biosciences in the 2nd quarter worth $76,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Aura Biosciences by 286.6% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 10,007 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Aura Biosciences in the 2nd quarter worth $102,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.75% of the company’s stock.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical?stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus?like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company’s platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non?ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near?infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti?tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.