Athira Pharma (NASDAQ:LONA) Trading Down 2.2% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Athira Pharma shares fell about 2.2% to $9.42 on Wednesday with only 19,694 shares traded (down ~48% vs. average), leaving the company with a market cap of roughly $88.5 million and a 50‑day moving average near $8.58.
• Analyst coverage is mixed: MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of “Hold” with a consensus target of $10.00, while individual notes range from a Weiss Ratings “sell (d-)” to Cantor Fitzgerald’s “overweight.”
• Athira is a clinical‑stage, unprofitable biopharma (reported quarterly EPS of -$18.90 and analysts expect about -4.93 EPS for the year), and insiders have been selling recently (the CEO sold 5,156 shares on March 4), though insiders still own ~25.07%.

Athira Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LONA - Get Free Report) fell 2.2% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $9.32 and last traded at $9.42. 19,694 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 48% from the average session volume of 37,530 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LONA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Athira Pharma in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. They set a "sell (d-)" rating on the stock. Mizuho upgraded Athira Pharma from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $10.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen cut Athira Pharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Zacks Research raised Athira Pharma to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Athira Pharma in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Athira Pharma Stock Down 2.2%

The company has a market cap of $88.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.97 and a beta of 1.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $8.58.

Athira Pharma (NASDAQ:LONA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Athira Pharma, Inc. will post -4.93 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark James Litton sold 5,156 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.37, for a total transaction of $27,687.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 57,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $311,062.62. This represents a 8.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 9,110 shares of company stock worth $48,921 over the last three months. Insiders own 25.07% of the company's stock.

About Athira Pharma

Athira Pharma, traded as LONA on the NASDAQ, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small-molecule therapeutics intended to restore neuronal health and function in neurodegenerative and cognitive disorders. The company's research approach centers on modulating pathways involved in synaptic repair and neurotrophic signaling to address underlying neuronal dysfunction rather than solely treating symptoms.

Athira's lead investigational therapy is fosgonimeton (ATH-1017), a small-molecule candidate designed to potentiate hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/MET pathway signaling with the aim of improving synaptic connectivity and cognitive performance in patients with conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive impairments.

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