Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC) Hits New 1-Year High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• New 52-week high: CELC traded as high as $125.27 (last $124.42) and has a market cap of $6.01 billion, while the company reported Q1 EPS of -$0.97, beating estimates of -$1.06.
• Analyst mix: Eight analysts rate the stock a Buy, one Hold and one Sell, giving an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $109.88, below the current trading level.
• Insider and institutional activity: Company directors recently sold shares (3,000 at $110.27 and 20,000 at $120.03); insiders own 13.33% of shares while institutions hold about 63.33%.

Shares of Celcuity, Inc. (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $125.27 and last traded at $124.42, with a volume of 96742 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.47.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Celcuity in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Celcuity from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Celcuity from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Celcuity in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $122.00 price target on shares of Celcuity in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Celcuity currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.88.

Celcuity Trading Up 0.7%

The stock has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.82 and a beta of 0.41. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $111.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a current ratio of 10.55 and a quick ratio of 10.55.

Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The company reported ($0.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.06) by $0.09. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Celcuity, Inc. will post -2.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Celcuity

In other Celcuity news, Director Richard E. Buller sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.27, for a total value of $330,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 6,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $745,425.20. This represents a 30.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director David Dalvey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total transaction of $2,400,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 90,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,802,700. The trade was a 18.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 13.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Celcuity

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CELC. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in Celcuity during the second quarter valued at about $177,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Celcuity by 1.2% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 42,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Celcuity during the second quarter valued at about $169,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Celcuity by 20.7% during the second quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 243,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,245,000 after buying an additional 41,756 shares during the period. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its position in Celcuity by 285.8% during the second quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 82,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,097,000 after buying an additional 60,849 shares during the period. 63.33% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Celcuity Company Profile

Celcuity, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in precision oncology diagnostics. The company develops and commercializes predictive biomarker assays designed to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from targeted cancer therapies. By integrating functional profiling of tumor cells with molecular analyses, Celcuity seeks to optimize treatment selection and improve outcomes for patients with solid tumors.

Celcuity’s proprietary platform evaluates tumor cell sensitivity to various therapeutic agents using ex vivo assays that measure DNA damage response and other critical pathways.

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