Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• Atara Biotherapeutics matched earnings expectations, reporting a quarterly loss of $0.32 per share, while revenue of $0.63 million exceeded analysts’ $0.55 million estimate. The company continued to post negative profitability metrics, including a 40.91% net margin.
• Shares rose 3.2% to $9.23 following the results, though the stock remains well below its 12-month high of $19.15. Institutional investors own approximately 70.9% of the company, while insiders own 41.2%.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with ratings ranging from Buy to Sell; the stock carries an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $9.50, slightly above its reported trading price.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.32), FiscalAI reports. Atara Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 79.12% and a negative net margin of 40.91%.The business had revenue of $0.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.55 million.

Atara Biotherapeutics Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:ATRA traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $9.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 88,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 769,620. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $9.48 and a 200 day moving average of $7.23. Atara Biotherapeutics has a twelve month low of $3.92 and a twelve month high of $19.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.16 million, a PE ratio of -13.78 and a beta of 0.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Atara Biotherapeutics news, CEO Anhco Nguyen sold 5,241 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.13, for a total transaction of $47,850.33. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 137,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,258,451.81. This trade represents a 3.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders own 41.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Atara Biotherapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATRA. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 183.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 63,816 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $914,000 after acquiring an additional 41,302 shares in the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Atara Biotherapeutics by 133.5% during the fourth quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 32,691 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 18,691 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 6.6% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 203,438 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,915,000 after purchasing an additional 12,677 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in Atara Biotherapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $13.00 price target on shares of Atara Biotherapeutics and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Freedom Capital upgraded Atara Biotherapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Atara Biotherapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Atara Biotherapeutics from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $9.50.

About Atara Biotherapeutics

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel T-cell immunotherapies to transform the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, Atara leverages its proprietary off-the-shelf allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-directed T-cell platform to generate engineered cell therapies designed to target EBV-driven malignancies and immune-mediated disorders.

The company's lead product candidate, tabelecleucel, is an off-the-shelf, EBV-specific T-cell therapy in clinical development for the treatment of EBV-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and other EBV-associated cancers.

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