Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA) Price Target Raised to $24.00

Key Points

• HC Wainwright raised its price target on Aura Biosciences to $24.00 (from $22.00) and maintains a "buy" rating, a target that implies a potential upside of 244.83% from the stock's current price.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—three Buy, one Hold and one Sell—giving Aura an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.50.
• Aura trades around $6.96 with a market cap of about $446.8M and is a clinical‑stage biotech developing VLP photodynamic therapies, with lead candidate AU‑011 for choroidal melanoma.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by analysts at HC Wainwright from $22.00 to $24.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. HC Wainwright's target price suggests a potential upside of 244.83% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on AURA. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a report on Friday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $21.50.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

AURA opened at $6.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $446.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.89 and a beta of 0.35. Aura Biosciences has a fifty-two week low of $4.34 and a fifty-two week high of $7.68. The company's 50 day moving average price is $6.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $5.98.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Biosciences

In related news, insider Conor Kilroy sold 11,738 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.02, for a total value of $82,400.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 217,835 shares in the company, valued at $1,529,201.70. This trade represents a 5.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Los Pinos Elisabet De sold 47,648 shares of Aura Biosciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.06, for a total value of $241,098.88. Following the sale, the insider owned 409,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,073,663.90. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 116,305 shares of company stock worth $611,230. Insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aura Biosciences

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Aura Biosciences by 49.3% in the 2nd 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. Water Island Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the 3rd quarter worth about $64,000. 49 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the 3rd quarter worth about $66,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. purchased a new position in Aura Biosciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $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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