Bicara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCAX) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Sixteen analysts give Bicara Therapeutics an average “Moderate Buy” rating, with nine buys and two strong buys. The average 12-month price target is $32.64, substantially above the reported $16.56 share price.
• BCAX shares have declined sharply: The stock opened at $16.56, down 4.2%, and trades well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages near $23. The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.82 per share, in line with expectations.
• Insiders have been selling while institutions add positions: The COO and CFO sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, contributing to $1.85 million in insider sales over 90 days. Meanwhile, several institutional investors established or expanded positions, including a new $94 million stake by Jupiter Topco.

Bicara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCAX - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.64.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BCAX shares. Wedbush raised their target price on Bicara Therapeutics from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of Bicara Therapeutics in a report on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Bicara Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Bicara Therapeutics from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Bicara Therapeutics in a research note on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Ryan Cohlhepp sold 18,750 shares of Bicara Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.98, for a total transaction of $524,625.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 181,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,082,315.18. The trade was a 9.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Ivan Hyep sold 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.97, for a total transaction of $349,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 129,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,632,044.35. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,286 shares of company stock worth $1,854,544. Company insiders own 13.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Bicara Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $93,957,000. Palo Alto Investors LP purchased a new position in Bicara Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $16,341,614. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new position in Bicara Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,487,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Bicara Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $10,478,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Bicara Therapeutics by 166.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 109,261 shares of the company's stock worth $2,170,000 after buying an additional 68,327 shares during the period.

Bicara Therapeutics Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:BCAX opened at $16.56 on Wednesday. Bicara Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $13.70 and a 12 month high of $30.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $23.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.23. The company has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.34 and a beta of -0.70.

Bicara Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BCAX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.82) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.82). As a group, research analysts forecast that Bicara Therapeutics will post -3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Bicara Therapeutics

Bicara Therapeutics Inc NASDAQ: BCAX is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for solid tumors. The company's approach is designed to address both cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment, which can suppress immune responses and limit the effectiveness of existing treatments.

Bicara's lead product candidate is ficerafusp alfa, also known as BCA101. It is an investigational bifunctional fusion protein designed to target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on tumor cells while blocking transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), a signaling pathway associated with tumor growth and immune suppression.

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