Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO) Trading Up 3.5% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Agios Pharmaceuticals' stock price increased by **3.5%** to **$42.96**, albeit trading volume was down **81%** compared to the average daily volume.
• Analyst ratings are mixed; while Bank of America and HC Wainwright maintain a "buy" rating, Zacks downgraded the stock to "strong sell," leading to an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of **$57.25**.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of **($1.93)** EPS, missing estimates, but generated **$12.50 million** in revenue, exceeding expectations of **$9.46 million**.

Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AGIO - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 3.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $43.69 and last traded at $42.96. Approximately 136,358 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 701,466 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on AGIO. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals from $71.00 to $65.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.25.

Agios Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.8%

The company has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $38.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.46.

Agios Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGIO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.74) by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $12.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 million. Agios Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 1,590.42% and a negative return on equity of 3.49%. On average, analysts forecast that Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -6.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Agios Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CFO Cecilia Jones sold 3,651 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.77, for a total transaction of $134,247.27. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 33,870 shares in the company, valued at $1,245,399.90. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Theodore James Jr. Washburn sold 8,546 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.87, for a total transaction of $315,091.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,003.16. The trade was a 90.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 23,482 shares of company stock worth $864,025. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. TCG Crossover Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Agios Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $23,182,000. SCS Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Agios Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at $17,905,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 145.2% in the first quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 743,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 440,000 shares during the last quarter. Palo Alto Investors LP acquired a new stake in Agios Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at $8,104,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in Agios Pharmaceuticals by 207.6% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 386,523 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $11,325,000 after acquiring an additional 260,845 shares during the last quarter.

About Agios Pharmaceuticals

Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, discovers and develops medicines in the field of cellular metabolism in the United States. Its lead product includes PYRUKYND (mitapivat), an activator of wild-type and mutant pyruvate kinase (PK), enzymes for the treatment of hemolytic anemias.

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