Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CLDX) Shares Gap Up Following Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded Celldex from underweight to overweight and raised its price target to $45 (from $24), sending the stock to gap up from $34.55 to a $35.79 open; last trade was about $34.69 on volume ~215,711.
• Analyst coverage is mixed but tilted positive: the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $46.36 and individual targets ranging widely (examples: Stifel $68, Wolfe $44, Goldman $34).
• Celldex recently reported a significant earnings miss—Q results showed a loss of $1.22 EPS (vs. -$1.00 est.) and just $0.12M revenue—leaving the stock with a negative P/E and a FY EPS forecast of about -2.48.

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDX - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday after Barclays upgraded the stock from an underweight rating to an overweight rating. The stock had previously closed at $34.55, but opened at $35.79. Barclays now has a $45.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $24.00. Celldex Therapeutics shares last traded at $34.6910, with a volume of 215,711 shares trading hands.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on CLDX. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $68.00 price target (up from $58.00) on shares of Celldex Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Celldex Therapeutics from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Celldex Therapeutics from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Celldex Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.36.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CLDX. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Celldex Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Celldex Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Celldex Therapeutics by 27.6% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,315 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Celldex Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Celldex Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,000.

Celldex Therapeutics Stock Up 0.3%

The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.91 and a beta of 1.19. The business's fifty day moving average is $29.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.29.

Celldex Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CLDX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.22) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.00) by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $0.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 million. Research analysts forecast that Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. will post -2.48 EPS for the current year.

Celldex Therapeutics Company Profile

Celldex Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of targeted immunotherapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The company's research platforms leverage novel antibody and vaccine technologies designed to engage the patient's immune system, with a particular emphasis on oncology and neurologic indications. Celldex's pipeline includes both monoclonal antibodies and biologic agents that seek to modulate immune responses or deliver targeted cytotoxic activity.

Among Celldex's lead product candidates is glembatumumab vedotin, an antibody–drug conjugate directed against the glycoprotein NMB (gpNMB) for the treatment of certain breast and skin cancers.

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