Man Group plc Invests $309,000 in Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB)

Man Group plc acquired a new position in Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 19,567 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $309,000. Man Group plc owned about 0.31% of Assembly Biosciences at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. B Group Inc. purchased a new position in Assembly Biosciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $799,000. Gilead Sciences Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Assembly Biosciences during the 4th quarter worth $34,865,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Assembly Biosciences by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 14,823 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $234,000 after acquiring an additional 2,098 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in Assembly Biosciences by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 94,711 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,495,000 after acquiring an additional 29,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Assembly Biosciences by 225.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,427 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 7,918 shares during the last quarter. 19.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Assembly Biosciences Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ASMB traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.26. The company had a trading volume of 18,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,873. The firm has a market cap of $108.92 million, a P/E ratio of -2.29 and a beta of 0.49. Assembly Biosciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $7.75 and a 52-week high of $19.93. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $11.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.16.

Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ:ASMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($2.01) by $0.84. Assembly Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 121.46% and a negative net margin of 144.05%. The company had revenue of $9.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.41 million. On average, research analysts expect that Assembly Biosciences, Inc. will post -6.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ASMB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Assembly Biosciences from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Assembly Biosciences in a research note on Monday, March 24th.

About Assembly Biosciences

Assembly Biosciences, Inc, a biotechnology company, develops therapeutic candidates for the treatment of viral diseases. It develops ABI-5366, a long-acting herpes simplex virus (HSV) helicase-primase inhibitor that is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial to treat recurrent genital herpes; ABI-1179, which is in Phase 1a/1b clinical trial for the treatment of recurrent genital herpes; and ABI-6250, a small molecule orally bioavailable hepatitis delta virus entry inhibitor that is in Phase 1a clinical trial.