Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Aclaris a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating (1 sell, 5 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year target of $10.14, versus the stock trading around $4.41.
• Fundamentals are weak: Q1 EPS was ($0.16) vs ($0.15) expected, revenue $1.3M vs $2.07M expected, with a negative net margin of 829.58% and negative ROE of 52.04%.
• Insider activity and institutional positioning stand out—major shareholder Braden Michael Leonard sold 300,000 shares, while hedge funds and institutions (reported ~98.34% ownership) have materially increased stakes (e.g., Millennium, Invesco, Goldman).

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.1429.

Several research firms have issued reports on ACRS. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Aclaris Therapeutics from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aclaris Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aclaris Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 27th. Craig Hallum assumed coverage on Aclaris Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, January 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $10.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Aclaris Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company.

Aclaris Therapeutics Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of ACRS stock opened at $4.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $615.90 million, a P/E ratio of -8.32 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a 50 day moving average of $3.74 and a 200-day moving average of $3.19. Aclaris Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $1.16 and a 12-month high of $4.89.

Aclaris Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ACRS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.01). Aclaris Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 52.04% and a negative net margin of 829.58%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.07 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Aclaris Therapeutics will post -0.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Aclaris Therapeutics

In other news, major shareholder Braden Michael Leonard sold 300,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.53, for a total value of $1,359,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,950,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,193,500. This represents a 2.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aclaris Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACRS. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 409.0% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 57,079 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 45,864 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 111.0% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,134,148 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $6,325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,175,101 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 29.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 555,953 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $851,000 after purchasing an additional 127,366 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 108.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,464,779 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,501,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Aclaris Therapeutics by 25.1% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 623,792 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $886,000 after purchasing an additional 125,071 shares during the last quarter. 98.34% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Aclaris Therapeutics Company Profile

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc NASDAQ: ACRS is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel small‐molecule therapies for dermatologic diseases and related rare disorders. The company's pipeline includes several product candidates designed to address chronic inflammatory skin conditions and non‐melanoma skin lesions. Lead programs include ATI‐50002, a topical agent in late‐stage development for molluscum contagiosum removal; ATI‐50003 for common wart resolution; ATI‐1501, an oral JAK1/2 inhibitor targeting pruritic disorders; and ATI‐450, an oral MK2 inhibitor for inflammatory indications.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Aclaris leverages proprietary chemistry platforms and translational research capabilities to advance multiple clinical and preclinical candidates.

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.