Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy”: Six of nine analysts rate Benitec Biopharma a buy, while two recommend holding and one rates it a sell. The average 12-month price target is $27.00.
• Shares opened at $11.58, with a market capitalization of approximately $397.8 million and a 52-week range of $9.85 to $16.76. The company reported quarterly EPS of -$0.24, beating estimates of -$0.27.
• Institutional investors own 52.19% of the stock. Benitec is developing gene-silencing therapies using its ddRNAi platform, with lead programs targeting chronic hepatitis B and certain eye diseases.

Shares of Benitec Biopharma Limited (NASDAQ:BNTC - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $27.00.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BNTC. Evercore initiated coverage on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Benitec Biopharma from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Benitec Biopharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Benitec Biopharma in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Benitec Biopharma Stock Performance

BNTC stock opened at $11.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $11.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.82. Benitec Biopharma has a fifty-two week low of $9.85 and a fifty-two week high of $16.76. The firm has a market cap of $397.77 million, a PE ratio of -10.16 and a beta of 0.25.

Benitec Biopharma (NASDAQ:BNTC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.27) by $0.03. On average, equities analysts predict that Benitec Biopharma will post -1.04 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Benitec Biopharma

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Benitec Biopharma by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,937 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 156.5% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 3,834 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 2,339 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma during the third quarter worth $79,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Benitec Biopharma by 2,255.8% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,879 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 6,587 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. purchased a new stake in Benitec Biopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $80,000. Institutional investors own 52.19% of the company's stock.

About Benitec Biopharma

Benitec Biopharma Ltd NASDAQ: BNTC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene-silencing therapies for serious human diseases. The company's proprietary DNA-directed RNA interference (ddRNAi) platform is designed to enable sustained expression of small RNA molecules that specifically target and silence disease-causing genes. By integrating RNAi sequences directly into DNA constructs, ddRNAi aims to provide a long-term therapeutic effect from a single administration.

Benitec's lead programs include development of ddRNAi candidates for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and for certain ocular conditions.

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