Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS) Given Market Outperform Rating at Citizens Jmp

Key Points

• Citizens Jmp reiterated a Market Outperform rating on Cellectis with an $8.00 price target, implying roughly a 86.92% upside from the current price, while consensus across analysts sits at a "Moderate Buy" with a $6.75 target.
• Cellectis shares opened at $4.28 and were trading up 19.2%; the company reported quarterly EPS of ($0.26) vs. ($0.10) expected and revenue of $15.5M (above $10.74M est.), with analysts forecasting -0.46 EPS for the year and negative margins/ROE.
• Significant institutional activity has occurred—UBS Asset Management and other funds materially increased stakes—and roughly 63.9% of the stock is held by hedge funds and institutional investors.

Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "market outperform" rating restated by analysts at Citizens Jmp in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $8.00 price target on the biotechnology company's stock. Citizens Jmp's price target suggests a potential upside of 86.92% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Clear Str upgraded Cellectis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Cellectis in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Cellectis in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $7.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cellectis has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $6.75.

Cellectis Trading Up 19.2%

CLLS opened at $4.28 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $3.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3.98. The company has a market capitalization of $429.45 million, a P/E ratio of -6.39 and a beta of 2.91. Cellectis has a 52 week low of $1.33 and a 52 week high of $5.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $15.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.74 million. Cellectis had a negative return on equity of 69.38% and a negative net margin of 84.92%. Analysts forecast that Cellectis will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLLS. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Cellectis by 228.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,722,664 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,856,000 after buying an additional 3,284,409 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in Cellectis during the 4th quarter worth $15,385,000. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Cellectis during the 3rd quarter worth $633,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in Cellectis by 1,610.3% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 178,473 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $864,000 after buying an additional 168,038 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Cellectis by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 46,377 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 26,461 shares during the last quarter. 63.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Cellectis

Cellectis is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of gene‐edited cell therapies for oncology. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Paris, France, the company also maintains operations in New York City and Raleigh, North Carolina. Cellectis applies its proprietary TALEN genome editing platform to engineer allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T‐cell (CAR‐T) candidates designed to target blood cancers and solid tumors.

The company's core business activities encompass the discovery, development and manufacturing of off‐the‐shelf immunotherapies.

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