Acorn Capital Advisors LLC Takes Position in Aura Biosciences, Inc. $AURA

Key Points

• Acorn Capital Advisors LLC has invested approximately $3.46 million in Aura Biosciences, acquiring 590,508 shares, making it the 15th largest position in their portfolio.
• Several hedge funds, including Long Focus Capital Management and Levin Capital Strategies, have also increased their stakes in Aura Biosciences during the first quarter, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Aura Biosciences reported an EPS of -$0.47 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, and holds a consensus rating of "Buy" with an average price target of $22.00.

Acorn Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 590,508 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,460,000. Aura Biosciences makes up approximately 2.3% of Acorn Capital Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Acorn Capital Advisors LLC owned about 1.18% of Aura Biosciences as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AURA. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aura Biosciences by 5,766.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,739 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 9,573 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the first quarter valued at approximately $124,000. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Aura Biosciences during the first quarter worth $137,000. Institutional investors own 96.75% of the company's stock.

Aura Biosciences Price Performance

NASDAQ AURA traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $6.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 193,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 146,939. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.90 million, a PE ratio of -3.15 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $6.64 and a 200 day moving average of $6.34. Aura Biosciences, Inc. has a one year low of $4.34 and a one year high of $12.38.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Research analysts expect that Aura Biosciences, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AURA shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Aura Biosciences in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research raised Aura Biosciences from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $19.00 price target on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aura Biosciences news, SVP Amy Elazzouzi sold 7,722 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.70, for a total value of $51,737.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 86,558 shares in the company, valued at $579,938.60. This represents a 8.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Aura Biosciences

Aura Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops precision immunotherapies to treat a range of solid tumors. The company's proprietary platform enables the targeting of a range of solid tumors using virus-like particles conjugated with drugs or loaded with nucleic acids to create virus-like drug conjugates.