Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC) Sets New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Celcuity shares hit a new 52-week high intraday at $128.28 (last $123.05), leaving the stock trading well above the MarketBeat consensus price target of $109.88 and giving the company a market cap of about $5.83 billion.
• Analysts are broadly positive—eight Buys, one Hold and one Sell—resulting in a "Moderate Buy" consensus, with recent price-target increases from Stifel ($125) and Needham ($122).
• The company reported quarterly EPS of -$0.97, beating estimates by $0.09 but remaining loss-making (expected -3.97 EPS for the year), and two directors have recently sold shares under pre-arranged plans, leaving insiders with about 13.33% ownership.

Celcuity, Inc. (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $128.28 and last traded at $123.0530, with a volume of 105409 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $126.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on CELC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Celcuity in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Celcuity from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Celcuity from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $122.00 price objective on shares of Celcuity in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Celcuity in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.88.

Celcuity Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 10.55 and a current ratio of 10.55. The company's fifty day moving average price is $112.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.89 and a beta of 0.41.

Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 25th. The company reported ($0.97) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.06) by $0.09. Equities research analysts expect that Celcuity, Inc. will post -3.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Celcuity news, Director Richard E. Buller sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director directly owned 6,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $745,425.20. This trade 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 at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director David Dalvey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.03, for a total value of $2,400,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 90,000 shares in the company, valued at $10,802,700. The trade was a 18.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 13.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Celcuity

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CELC. Creative Planning bought a new stake in Celcuity during the 2nd quarter valued at $177,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Celcuity by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 42,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Celcuity during the 2nd quarter valued at about $169,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Celcuity by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 243,042 shares of the company's stock worth $3,245,000 after buying an additional 41,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paloma Partners Management Co lifted its stake in shares of Celcuity by 285.8% in the 2nd quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 82,137 shares of the company's stock worth $1,097,000 after acquiring an additional 60,849 shares during the period. 63.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Celcuity

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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