Atara Biotherapeutics' (ATRA) "Sell (D+)" Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Atara Biotherapeutics received a "sell (D+)" rating reaffirmation from Weiss Ratings, indicating caution for investors interested in the stock.
• Despite a recent uptick in share price to $15.85, Atara Biotherapeutics has a market capitalization of only $111.27 million and a negative return on equity.
• Institutional investors hold 70.90% of Atara Biotherapeutics' stock, with recent acquisitions signaling continued interest from hedge funds.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d+)" rating reiterated by Weiss Ratings in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Atara Biotherapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Atara Biotherapeutics stock traded up $0.22 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $15.85. 69,650 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 102,081. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.27 million, a P/E ratio of -36.86 and a beta of 0.25. Atara Biotherapeutics has a 1-year low of $5.01 and a 1-year high of $18.70. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $12.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.40.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The biotechnology company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.51. The company had revenue of $17.58 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.23 million. Atara Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 8.34% and a net margin of 3.07%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Atara Biotherapeutics will post -10.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Atara Biotherapeutics news, major shareholder Innovation Ltd Panacea acquired 55,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.19 per share, for a total transaction of $670,450.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,405,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,126,950. This trade represents a 4.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atara Biotherapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Atara Biotherapeutics by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,136 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Atara Biotherapeutics by 60.0% in the 1st quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 80,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EcoR1 Capital LLC lifted its stake in Atara Biotherapeutics by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. EcoR1 Capital LLC now owns 573,183 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,405,000 after acquiring an additional 41,049 shares in the last quarter. 70.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc engages in the development of transformative therapies for patients with solid tumors, hematologic cancers, and autoimmune diseases in the United States and the United Kingdom. Its lead product includes Tab-cel (tabelecleucel), a T-cell immunotherapy program that is in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of epstein-barr virus (EBV) driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, as well as nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

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