Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA) Raised to Strong-Buy at Lifesci Capital

Key Points

• Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA) was upgraded to a "strong-buy" rating by Lifesci Capital, highlighting increased confidence in the company's potential.
• Despite this upgrade, analysts have mixed opinions with some lowering ratings; for instance, Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "hold" to "sell."
• The company reported a loss of $0.38 per share for the last quarter, which was below analysts' expectations, signaling possible challenges ahead.

Lifesci Capital upgraded shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA - Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports. Lifesci Capital also issued estimates for Centessa Pharmaceuticals' Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.38) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.38) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($1.33) EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at ($0.38) EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.38) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.43) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.42) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($1.61) EPS.

CNTA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, August 29th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Finally, Chardan Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twelve have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.45.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

CNTA traded up $1.58 on Wednesday, reaching $19.61. The company had a trading volume of 1,107,355 shares, compared to its average volume of 991,181. The company has a fifty day moving average of $16.09 and a 200-day moving average of $14.44. The company has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.07 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a current ratio of 10.11, a quick ratio of 10.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Centessa Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $9.60 and a one year high of $19.99.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CNTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.35) by ($0.03). As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Centessa Pharmaceuticals will post -1.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Centessa Pharmaceuticals news, insider Mario Alberto Accardi sold 8,322 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.23, for a total transaction of $126,744.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 208,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,170,322.49. This represents a 3.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Iqbal J. Hussain sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $103,380.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 105,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,815,800.78. This represents a 5.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 171,322 shares of company stock valued at $2,472,814 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Centessa Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CNTA. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 15,209.5% in the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,215 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 3,194 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $47,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals by 1,414.9% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 5,302 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 4,952 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Centessa Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth approximately $147,000. 82.01% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and delivers medicines for patients. Its products pipeline includes SerpinPC, an activated protein C inhibitor for the treatment of hemophilia A and B; and ORX750, an orally administered OX2R agonist for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders.