Beam Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAM) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts: Beam has a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from 16 analysts with an average 12‑month price target of $49.36, and several firms recently raised targets (e.g., Canaccord $74, Citi $68, Wedbush $65).
• Earnings beat: Beam reported a surprise quarter with $2.33 EPS vs. a ($1.13) estimate and $114.11M revenue vs. $13.22M expected, driving a ~10% move in the stock and valuation metrics around a $3.07B market cap.
• Insider selling: Insiders have sold 99,544 shares (~$2.59M) in the past three months — including CEO John M. Evans (30,078 shares) and Amy Simon (6,700 shares) under Rule 10b5‑1 plans — while insiders still hold about 3.5% of the company.

Shares of Beam Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAM - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.3571.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Beam Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $74.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Beam Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Beam Therapeutics from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Beam Therapeutics from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on Beam Therapeutics from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Amy Simon sold 6,700 shares of Beam Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.58, for a total value of $164,686.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 102,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,525,226.30. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John M. Evans sold 30,078 shares of Beam Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.58, for a total value of $739,317.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,047,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,740,298.90. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 99,544 shares of company stock worth $2,591,305. Insiders own 3.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Beam Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Beam Therapeutics by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC boosted its position in shares of Beam Therapeutics by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 9,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Beam Therapeutics by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 21,948 shares of the company's stock valued at $608,000 after buying an additional 566 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Beam Therapeutics by 2.2% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 26,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $650,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Beam Therapeutics by 48.7% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.68% of the company's stock.

Beam Therapeutics Stock Up 10.0%

Shares of Beam Therapeutics stock opened at $30.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.88 and a beta of 2.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $26.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.53. Beam Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $15.35 and a twelve month high of $36.44.

Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BEAM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.13) by $3.46. The firm had revenue of $114.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.22 million. Beam Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 30.65% and a negative net margin of 57.24%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 280.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($1.09) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Beam Therapeutics will post -4.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Beam Therapeutics

Beam Therapeutics, Inc NASDAQ: BEAM is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing precision genetic medicines through its pioneering base editing platform. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional research facilities in Philadelphia, the company focuses on engineering molecular editors capable of making precise single-nucleotide changes in DNA. By harnessing its proprietary base editing technology, Beam aims to correct or disrupt disease-causing genetic variants at their source, offering the potential for novel therapies in areas with significant unmet medical need.

Founded in 2017 as a spin-out from Harvard University and the Broad and Whitehead Institutes, Beam was co-founded by leading academic researcher David R.

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