AC Immune (NASDAQ:ACIU) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• AC Immune's rating was upgraded from a "strong sell" to a "hold" by Zacks Research, reflecting a more optimistic outlook from analysts.
• The stock has experienced a significant increase, trading up 9.1%, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $10.00.
• Institutional investors now hold 51.36% of AC Immune's stock, indicating growing investment interest in the company.

Zacks Research upgraded shares of AC Immune (NASDAQ:ACIU - Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday, September 9th,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on ACIU. Wall Street Zen raised AC Immune from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 price objective on shares of AC Immune in a report on Monday, September 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AC Immune presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $10.00.

AC Immune Stock Performance

NASDAQ ACIU traded down $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $2.39. 33,489 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 154,610. The business's fifty day moving average is $2.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.97. AC Immune has a 12 month low of $1.43 and a 12 month high of $3.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.10 and a beta of 1.61.

AC Immune (NASDAQ:ACIU - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.20) by ($0.05). AC Immune had a negative net margin of 174.94% and a negative return on equity of 49.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 million. Analysts expect that AC Immune will post -0.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AC Immune

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BVF Inc. IL raised its position in AC Immune by 1.5% during the first quarter. BVF Inc. IL now owns 19,822,436 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,068,000 after purchasing an additional 300,000 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp bought a new position in shares of AC Immune during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,088,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in shares of AC Immune during the fourth quarter valued at about $118,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of AC Immune by 130.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 131,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 74,358 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AC Immune during the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 51.36% of the company's stock.

About AC Immune

AC Immune SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, discovers, designs, and develops medicines and diagnostic products for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases associated with protein misfolding. Its SupraAntigen and Morphomer platforms are designed to generate vaccines, antibodies, and small molecules, which selectively interact with misfolded proteins that are common in a range of neurodegenerative diseases.