Short Interest in Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB) Rises By 99.2%

Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 26,300 shares, an increase of 99.2% from the April 30th total of 13,200 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 25,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.0 days. Currently, 0.7% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ASMB. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Assembly Biosciences from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on Assembly Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock.

Assembly Biosciences Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ASMB traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $14.26. 18,549 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,873. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.92 million, a P/E ratio of -2.29 and a beta of 0.49. Assembly Biosciences has a 12-month low of $7.75 and a 12-month high of $19.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.18.

Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.01) by $0.84. Assembly Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 121.46% and a negative net margin of 144.05%. The firm had revenue of $9.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.41 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Assembly Biosciences will post -6.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASMB. Gilead Sciences Inc. purchased a new stake in Assembly Biosciences in the fourth quarter valued at $34,865,000. Peapod Lane Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Assembly Biosciences in the fourth quarter valued at $994,000. B Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Assembly Biosciences in the fourth quarter valued at $799,000. Monimus Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Assembly Biosciences in the fourth quarter valued at $664,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Assembly Biosciences by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 94,711 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,495,000 after purchasing an additional 29,087 shares during the last quarter. 19.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Assembly Biosciences Company Profile

Assembly Biosciences, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops therapeutic candidates for the treatment of viral diseases. It develops ABI-5366, a long-acting herpes simplex virus (HSV) helicase-primase inhibitor that is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial to treat recurrent genital herpes; ABI-1179, which is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes; and ABI-6250, a small molecule orally bioavailable hepatitis delta virus entry inhibitor that is in Phase 1a clinical trial.