Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDXS) Short Interest Down 35.6% in March

Key Points

• Short interest fell 35.6% in March to 6,938,356 shares (about 7.8% of shares sold short), bringing the days-to-cover ratio down to 4.3 days.
• Codexis beat the quarter with $0.11 EPS vs. $0.01 expected and $38.92M revenue vs. $35.83M expected, but remains unprofitable (negative net margin ~62% and negative ROE) and analysts forecast -0.77 EPS for the year with a consensus target of $5 and an overall "Hold" rating.
• Institutions own 78.54% of the stock, with several funds (Millennium, Aberdeen, Opaleye, Prescott) substantially increasing their positions in recent quarters.

Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CDXS - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,938,356 shares, a decrease of 35.6% from the March 15th total of 10,768,186 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,619,247 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 7.8% of the company's shares are sold short.

Codexis Stock Performance

Codexis stock opened at $2.30 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 3.82 and a quick ratio of 3.75. Codexis has a 1-year low of $0.96 and a 1-year high of $3.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.00 million, a P/E ratio of -4.42 and a beta of 2.08. The company's 50-day moving average is $1.46 and its 200 day moving average is $1.77.

Codexis (NASDAQ:CDXS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The biotechnology company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.10. Codexis had a negative net margin of 62.47% and a negative return on equity of 90.51%. The company had revenue of $38.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.83 million. Research analysts forecast that Codexis will post -0.77 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Codexis

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CDXS. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Codexis by 3,376.5% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,067,559 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,925,000 after purchasing an additional 3,950,557 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Codexis by 94.7% in the fourth quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 7,966,498 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $12,985,000 after purchasing an additional 3,874,436 shares during the period. Opaleye Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Codexis by 32.6% in the second quarter. Opaleye Management Inc. now owns 12,600,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100,000 shares during the period. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Codexis by 304.1% in the fourth quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 2,568,359 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,186,000 after purchasing an additional 1,932,814 shares during the period. Finally, Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Codexis by 42.4% in the second quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 4,030,619 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Codexis in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Codexis from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $5.00 price objective on shares of Codexis in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Codexis in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $5.00.

About Codexis

Codexis, Inc, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading protein engineering company focused on the development of innovative enzyme solutions for pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and specialty chemical applications. The company's proprietary directed evolution platform, CodeEvolver®, enables the rapid identification and optimization of enzymes with enhanced activity, selectivity and stability. By leveraging this technology, Codexis provides custom biocatalysts designed to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

Since its founding in 2002, Codexis has expanded its capabilities from early-stage research to commercial-scale production.

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