Aberdeen Group plc Grows Stake in Equillium, Inc. $EQ

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in Equillium by 523.6% in Q4, acquiring 1,987,162 additional shares to hold 2,366,688 shares (about 3.89%) valued at $3.668 million.
• Insiders sold 487,468 shares worth $990,467 over the past three months, including COO Christine Zedelmayer’s sale of 185,937 shares at $1.76 (a 49.27% reduction); insiders still own 31.60% of the company.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating with a $9.00 target despite EQ trading around $1.80 (12‑month range $0.27–$2.70, market cap ~$113.8M); the company reported quarterly EPS of -$0.04, beating estimates by $0.03.

Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQ - Free Report) by 523.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,366,688 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,987,162 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 3.89% of Equillium worth $3,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equillium by 133.4% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 23,779 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 13,591 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equillium in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Equillium in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $99,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equillium in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $174,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equillium in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $178,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 27.05% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on EQ shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Equillium in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded Equillium to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Equillium in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $5.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Equillium in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $10.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Equillium from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $9.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Christine Zedelmayer sold 185,937 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.76, for a total transaction of $327,249.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 191,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $336,941.44. This trade represents a 49.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders sold 487,468 shares of company stock worth $990,467. 31.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Equillium Stock Down 6.2%

EQ stock opened at $1.80 on Thursday. Equillium, Inc. has a twelve month low of $0.27 and a twelve month high of $2.70. The firm has a market cap of $113.81 million, a PE ratio of -3.60 and a beta of 1.75. The business has a 50 day moving average of $1.83 and a 200 day moving average of $1.45.

Equillium (NASDAQ:EQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 25th. The company reported ($0.04) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.03. On average, research analysts expect that Equillium, Inc. will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equillium Company Profile

Equillium, Inc NASDAQ: EQ is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel immunotherapies to treat severe autoimmune diseases and prevent organ transplant rejection. The company's lead therapeutic candidate, EQ001 (itolizumab), is a humanized monoclonal antibody that modulates T-cell activation by targeting the CD6 receptor. Equillium's pipeline also includes additional biologic candidates aimed at addressing indications such as acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and lupus nephritis.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in La Jolla, California, Equillium in-licensed itolizumab from Biocon Limited, leveraging the antibody's established safety profile in earlier clinical studies.

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