Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest fell sharply in April to 2,013,075 shares, a 23.0% decline from March 31, representing about 3.3% of shares outstanding and a short-interest ratio of 6.1 days.
• Analysts are mixed—three Buys, one Hold and one Sell—giving a MarketBeat consensus of Hold with an average price target of $20.50, versus a recent share price around $6.96.
• Company insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 116,305 shares worth about $611,230 over the last three months, and insiders now own roughly 6.30% of the stock.

Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,013,075 shares, a decline of 23.0% from the March 31st total of 2,615,841 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 327,990 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AURA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Aura Biosciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.50.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AURA opened at $6.96 on Wednesday. Aura Biosciences has a twelve month low of $4.34 and a twelve month high of $7.68. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $6.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.98. The company has a market capitalization of $446.83 million, a PE ratio of -3.89 and a beta of 0.35.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 30th. The company reported ($0.37) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by $0.06. As a group, research analysts expect that Aura Biosciences will post -1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Biosciences

In other Aura Biosciences news, insider Conor Kilroy sold 12,079 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total transaction of $60,998.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 167,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,531.70. The trade was a 6.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Janet Jill Hopkins sold 20,401 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.06, for a total value of $103,229.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 232,284 shares in the company, valued at $1,175,357.04. The trade was a 8.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 116,305 shares of company stock worth $611,230. 6.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Aura Biosciences by 49.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,104 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Water Island Capital LLC purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the third quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 49 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.75% of the company's stock.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus‐like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company's platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non‐ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near‐infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti‐tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.

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