Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Atara Biotherapeutics from “Sell” to “Hold.” The stock’s overall analyst consensus is “Hold,” with one Buy, one Hold, and one Sell rating, and an average price target of $9.50.
• ATRA shares opened at $8.09, down 4.9%, with a market capitalization of approximately $72.9 million. The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.32 per share, in line with estimates, and revenue of $0.63 million.
• Institutional investors own approximately 70.9% of Atara’s shares, while insiders own 41.2%; CEO Anhco Nguyen recently sold shares to cover tax obligations related to vested equity awards.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

ATRA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Atara Biotherapeutics from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $13.00 price target on Atara Biotherapeutics and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Atara Biotherapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $9.50.

Atara Biotherapeutics Trading Down 4.9%

Shares of Atara Biotherapeutics stock opened at $8.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.89 million, a PE ratio of -6.86 and a beta of 0.12. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $7.29. Atara Biotherapeutics has a twelve month low of $3.92 and a twelve month high of $19.15.

Atara Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ATRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.32). Atara Biotherapeutics had a negative return on equity of 79.12% and a negative net margin of 269.42%.The firm had revenue of $0.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.55 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Atara Biotherapeutics will post -0.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Atara Biotherapeutics

In related news, CEO Anhco Nguyen sold 5,241 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.13, for a total value of $47,850.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 137,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,258,451.81. This trade represents a 3.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 41.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Atara Biotherapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Atara Biotherapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $181,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Atara Biotherapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Atara Biotherapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $327,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd increased its holdings in Atara Biotherapeutics by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 20,321 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 3,779 shares in the last quarter. 70.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Atara Biotherapeutics Company Profile

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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