Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLGL) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Six firms collectively rate Sol-Gel Technologies “Moderate Buy,” with three buys, one strong buy, one hold and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $197.50, including Mizuho’s $285 target.
• Insider and institutional ownership has increased: Major shareholder Opaleye Management bought 35,113 shares, while insiders purchased 42,571 shares over the past 90 days. Insiders own 66.51% of the company, compared with 26.18% held by institutions and hedge funds.
• Financial results exceeded expectations, but the company remains unprofitable: Sol-Gel reported quarterly EPS of -$1.13 versus the -$2.36 consensus estimate and revenue of $0.59 million versus $0.07 million expected. The stock opened at $69.52, while analysts expect a full-year loss of $8.38 per share.

Sol-Gel Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLGL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $197.50.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in a research note on Friday, May 29th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in a research report on Tuesday. Lifesci Capital upgraded shares of Sol-Gel Technologies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sol-Gel Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th.

Insider Transactions at Sol-Gel Technologies

In related news, major shareholder Opaleye Management Inc. purchased 35,113 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $69.32 per share, for a total transaction of $2,434,033.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 520,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,046,400. The trade was a 7.24% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 42,571 shares of company stock valued at $2,952,458. Insiders own 66.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sol-Gel Technologies

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Sol-Gel Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at $429,000. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sol-Gel Technologies in the first quarter valued at about $2,773,000. Opaleye Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sol-Gel Technologies by 121.5% in the fourth quarter. Opaleye Management Inc. now owns 453,739 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,121,000 after acquiring an additional 248,904 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sol-Gel Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $748,000. 26.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sol-Gel Technologies Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:SLGL opened at $69.52 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $78.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.05. The company has a market capitalization of $195.35 million, a PE ratio of -12.33 and a beta of 1.12. Sol-Gel Technologies has a 52-week low of $23.13 and a 52-week high of $97.97.

Sol-Gel Technologies (NASDAQ:SLGL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 21st. The company reported ($1.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.36) by $1.23. The company had revenue of $0.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.07 million. Sol-Gel Technologies had a negative return on equity of 44.05% and a negative net margin of 910.14%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sol-Gel Technologies will post -8.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Sol-Gel Technologies

Sol-Gel Technologies, Inc NASDAQ: SLGL is a U.S.-based advanced materials company specializing in the development and commercialization of nanostructured materials using proprietary sol-gel processes. Leveraging expertise in materials chemistry and thin-film deposition, the company focuses on the production of metal oxide powders, sols, coatings and functional inks designed to enhance performance in a variety of industrial and commercial applications.

The company's product portfolio includes corrosion- and abrasion-resistant coatings, dielectric and conductive films, catalyst supports and specialty fillers.

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