Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT) Trading Up 9.2% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Altimmune shares rose 9.2% to $3.22 in Friday trading, though volume was 57% below the average session level.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with seven Buy ratings, one Hold and one Sell, resulting in a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $14.33 average price target.
• The clinical-stage biotech reported a quarterly loss of $0.12 per share, beating estimates of a $0.14 loss, but continues to post deeply negative profitability metrics; institutional investors own 78.05% of its stock.

Altimmune, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALT - Get Free Report) was up 9.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $3.22 and last traded at $3.22. 1,880,626 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 4,360,463 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Altimmune from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Altimmune in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Leerink Partners began coverage on Altimmune in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $10.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Altimmune in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on shares of Altimmune from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $14.33.

Altimmune Price Performance

The company's 50-day simple moving average is $2.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.31. The company has a market cap of $612.73 million, a PE ratio of -4.04 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 26.78 and a current ratio of 26.78.

Altimmune (NASDAQ:ALT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.12) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.02. Altimmune had a negative return on equity of 31.41% and a negative net margin of 214,860.98%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altimmune, Inc. will post -0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altimmune

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Altimmune by 268.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,045,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,221,000 after buying an additional 762,223 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Altimmune by 156.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 518,198 shares of the company's stock worth $1,575,000 after buying an additional 316,209 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altimmune during the 1st quarter worth about $42,000. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its position in shares of Altimmune by 6,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 65,000 shares of the company's stock worth $200,000 after acquiring an additional 64,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Altimmune by 112.5% in the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 17,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 9,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.05% of the company's stock.

Altimmune Company Profile

Altimmune, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, dedicated to the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. The company leverages proprietary technology platforms to create intranasal vaccine candidates and novel therapies targeting liver diseases and metabolic disorders. Altimmune's approach emphasizes the stimulation of both systemic and mucosal immune responses to address unmet medical needs in infectious and chronic conditions.

Among its lead programs, NasoVAX is an investigational intranasal influenza vaccine designed to provide broad, long-lasting protection through a single, non-invasive dose.

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