Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Celcuity's stock price gapped up from $55.93 to $58.94 before trading, with the current trading price at $58.06 and a volume of 43,289 shares.
• Analysts have given Celcuity a consensus rating of "Buy" with price targets ranging from $30.00 to $66.00.
• Insider trading activity saw Director David Dalvey sell 100,000 shares at $43.98 each, reducing his holdings by 44.44%.

Celcuity, Inc. (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $55.93, but opened at $58.94. Celcuity shares last traded at $58.06, with a volume of 43,289 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on Celcuity from $28.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on Celcuity from $50.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price target on Celcuity from $74.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Celcuity in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.50.

Celcuity Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.26 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 4.58 and a current ratio of 4.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.81.

Celcuity (NASDAQ:CELC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported ($1.04) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by ($0.14). On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Celcuity, Inc. will post -2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Dalvey sold 100,000 shares of Celcuity stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.98, for a total value of $4,398,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 125,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,497,500. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 15.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Celcuity

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CELC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Celcuity by 1,237.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,324 shares of the company's stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 1,225 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Celcuity by 78.9% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,647 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in Celcuity by 211.2% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,549 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 3,766 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Celcuity by 176.3% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 7,087 shares of the company's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 4,522 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. acquired a new position in Celcuity during the first quarter worth approximately $108,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.33% of the company's stock.

About Celcuity

Celcuity Inc, a clinical stage biotechnology company, focuses on the development of targeted therapies for the treatment of various solid tumors in the United States. The company's CELsignia diagnostic platform uses a patient's living tumor cells to identify the specific abnormal cellular process driving a patient's cancer and the related targeted therapy for the treatment.

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