Avalo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AVTX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wedbush Analyst Says

Key Points

• Wedbush raised its price target on Avalo Therapeutics to $40 (from $29) and kept an "outperform" rating, with other firms also lifting targets (BTIG to $58, Wolfe to $48), leaving a consensus target of $46.71 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 9 Buy, 1 Sell).
• The stock opened at $20.73 with a market cap of $553.8M, a 52‑week range of $3.39–$23.65 and a negative P/E; Avalo also reported a quarterly EPS of ($0.37), beating estimates of ($1.54).
• Insiders have sold 63,015 shares (~$987K) over the last 90 days (including recent sales by an insider and the CFO), leaving insiders with 4.46% ownership while institutions hold about 87.06% of the shares.

Avalo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AVTX - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by investment analysts at Wedbush from $29.00 to $40.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Wedbush's price target suggests a potential upside of 92.93% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on AVTX. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Avalo Therapeutics from $40.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Avalo Therapeutics from $25.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Avalo Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Avalo Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Avalo Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Avalo Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $46.71.

Avalo Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AVTX opened at $20.73 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $15.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $553.78 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.83 and a beta of 0.78. Avalo Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $3.39 and a 52-week high of $23.65.

Avalo Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AVTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 23rd. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.54) by $1.17. The business had revenue of $0.06 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of ($0.21) million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Avalo Therapeutics will post -4.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Avalo Therapeutics

In other Avalo Therapeutics news, insider Mittie Doyle sold 25,492 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.15, for a total transaction of $411,695.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,622 shares of the company's stock, valued at $58,495.30. This trade represents a 87.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Christopher Ryan Sullivan sold 8,458 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.09, for a total transaction of $110,715.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 8,880 shares in the company, valued at $116,239.20. This trade represents a 48.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 63,015 shares of company stock valued at $987,326 over the last 90 days. 4.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caligan Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Avalo Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $10,592,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Avalo Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $10,390,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Avalo Therapeutics by 314.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 692,637 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,803,000 after buying an additional 525,696 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Avalo Therapeutics by 380.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 659,979 shares of the company's stock worth $11,985,000 after acquiring an additional 522,548 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in Avalo Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,637,000. Institutional investors own 87.06% of the company's stock.

Avalo Therapeutics Company Profile

Avalo Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for cardiometabolic, fibrotic and inflammatory diseases. The company's proprietary drug-design platform enables the creation of long-acting prodrugs with optimized pharmacokinetic profiles, aiming to improve efficacy, safety and patient adherence. By leveraging this technology, Avalo seeks to address key drivers of disease progression that remain underserved by existing treatments.

Its lead programs include AVTX-002, a first-in-class prodrug candidate designed to inhibit angiotensinogen for the treatment of hypertension and related cardiovascular disorders, and AVTX-006, an early-stage candidate targeting pathways implicated in fibrosis and metabolic dysfunction.

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