Empery Asset Management LP Purchases New Stake in Benitec Biopharma Limited $BNTC

Empery Asset Management LP purchased a new stake in Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 55,440 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $747,000. Benitec Biopharma comprises about 0.7% of Empery Asset Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in BNTC. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the first quarter valued at approximately $597,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 77.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 415,211 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,859,000 after purchasing an additional 181,391 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma in the second quarter valued at approximately $80,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 11,114.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,858 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 20,672 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Benitec Biopharma during the second quarter worth $127,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.19% of the company’s stock.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Down 3.9%

BNTC stock opened at $10.39 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.87. The stock has a market cap of $356.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.11 and a beta of 0.27. Benitec Biopharma Limited has a 52-week low of $9.85 and a 52-week high of $17.11.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.27) by $0.03. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Benitec Biopharma Limited will post -1.04 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on BNTC. Guggenheim cut Benitec Biopharma from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday, March 9th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Benitec Biopharma from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $27.00.

Benitec Biopharma Company Profile

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.