Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Thirteen brokers give Aardvark an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” (1 sell, 4 hold, 7 buy, 1 strong buy) with a mean 1‑year target of $22.60, though several firms (Stifel, RBC, Morgan Stanley) cut price objectives sharply to about $6–$7 in early March.
• Shares trade around $5.39 (52‑week range $3.35–$17.94) with a market cap of ~$117.6M, a negative P/E and high volatility (beta 5.33); the company reported ($0.81) EPS for the quarter, meeting estimates while analysts forecast -3.28 EPS for the year.
• Notable institutional activity: Citadel, Laurion, Vanguard and Millennium increased positions and SymBiosis opened a new stake (~$6.26M), signaling meaningful institutional interest despite mixed analyst views.

Shares of Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AARD - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $22.60.

Several analysts have commented on AARD shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $6.00 price objective (down from $24.00) on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Aardvark Therapeutics from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $18.00 to $6.00 in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $7.00 price objective (down from $29.00) on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Aardvark Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Aardvark Therapeutics Stock Performance

Aardvark Therapeutics stock opened at $5.39 on Friday. Aardvark Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $3.35 and a fifty-two week high of $17.94. The company has a market capitalization of $117.61 million, a P/E ratio of -1.84 and a beta of 5.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.48.

Aardvark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AARD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, March 23rd. The company reported ($0.81) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.81). As a group, analysts forecast that Aardvark Therapeutics will post -3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Aardvark Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 1,359,883 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,073,000 after acquiring an additional 76,151 shares during the last quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP raised its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP now owns 1,049,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,951,000 after acquiring an additional 60,653 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 555,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,386,000 after acquiring an additional 94,744 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Aardvark Therapeutics by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 483,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,344,000 after acquiring an additional 163,717 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SymBiosis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Aardvark Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,255,000.

Aardvark Therapeutics Company Profile

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery and development of small-molecule modulators of the retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ). RORγ plays a central role in T-helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation and inflammatory processes. By targeting this transcription factor, Aardvark aims to address a range of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases.

The company's lead programs consist of selective RORγ inverse agonists designed to suppress pathogenic Th17-driven responses in conditions such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and other chronic inflammatory disorders.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.