Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) Shares Sold by AWM Investment Company Inc.

AWM Investment Company Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ:BNTC) by 83.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 102,027 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 522,973 shares during the period. AWM Investment Company Inc.’s holdings in Benitec Biopharma were worth $1,289,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BNTC. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 138.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 35,476 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 20,597 shares during the last quarter. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the fourth quarter worth about $452,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Benitec Biopharma by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 38,200 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 13,425 shares in the last quarter. MYDA Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Benitec Biopharma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $632,000. Finally, Lion Point Capital LP lifted its holdings in Benitec Biopharma by 59.0% in the fourth quarter. Lion Point Capital LP now owns 62,000 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $783,000 after acquiring an additional 23,000 shares during the period. 52.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Benitec Biopharma

In other news, Director Suvretta Capital Management, L acquired 900,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $13.00 per share, for a total transaction of $11,700,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 8,793,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $114,312,185. This trade represents a 11.40% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BNTC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Benitec Biopharma currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $24.71.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

Benitec Biopharma stock opened at $13.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.61 million, a P/E ratio of -9.23 and a beta of 0.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $13.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.07. Benitec Biopharma Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.74 and a 1 year high of $16.90.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.36) by $0.12. Sell-side analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma Inc. will post -1.48 EPS for the current year.

Benitec Biopharma Company Profile

Benitec Biopharma Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, focuses on the development of novel genetic medicines. The company develops DNA-directed RNA interference-based therapeutics for chronic and life-threatening human conditions. It is developing BB-301, an adeno-associated virus based gene therapy agent for treating oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.