Autolus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AUTL) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Autolus Therapeutics shares surged 26.5%, opening at $1.715 after previously closing at $1.49 and later trading near $2.02.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: the stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $8.75, with HC Wainwright and Needham each maintaining $10 targets.
• The company remains financially challenged as a clinical-stage biotech, reporting a quarterly loss of $0.27 per share, negative margins and return on equity; institutional investors own 72.83% of the shares.

Shares of Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR (NASDAQ:AUTL - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $1.49, but opened at $1.7150. Autolus Therapeutics shares last traded at $2.0150, with a volume of 3,178,453 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AUTL. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 price target on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Autolus Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Autolus Therapeutics from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Autolus Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Autolus Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $8.75.

Autolus Therapeutics Trading Up 26.5%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $1.52. The stock has a market cap of $501.70 million, a PE ratio of -1.74 and a beta of 2.04.

Autolus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AUTL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The company reported ($0.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by $0.02. Autolus Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 128.59% and a negative net margin of 311.98%.The company had revenue of $26.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.27 million. Equities analysts expect that Autolus Therapeutics PLC Sponsored ADR will post -0.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Autolus Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AUTL. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in Autolus Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Independent Advisor Alliance acquired a new position in shares of Autolus Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Autolus Therapeutics by 115.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,499 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 8,309 shares during the last quarter. SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC acquired a new position in Autolus Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Autolus Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 72.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Autolus Therapeutics

Autolus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. The company leverages proprietary technologies to engineer autologous T cells that target and eradicate tumor cells, with the aim of improving safety, efficacy and durability over existing cell therapies. Its R&D platform integrates antigen receptor design, gene editing and manufacturing optimization to generate candidates tailored for specific hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications.

The company's leading pipeline candidates include AUTO1, an optimized CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and AUTO3, a dual-targeted CD19/22 CAR-T program in development for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

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