BlackRock Inc. Makes New Investment in Aura Biosciences, Inc. $AURA

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 4.71 million shares of Aura Biosciences in the second quarter, valued at approximately $33.4 million and representing about 4.55% of the company.
• Institutional investors own approximately 96.75% of Aura Biosciences, while several firms—including JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, and Intech Investment Management—recently increased their positions.
• Aura reported a quarterly loss of $0.48 per share, missing the $0.38 consensus estimate. The stock opened at $7.43, while analysts maintain an average “Hold” rating and a $17.50 price target.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 4,707,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,424,000. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 4.55% of Aura Biosciences as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Aura Biosciences by 49.3% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,372 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 2,104 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Aura Biosciences by 12.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,557 shares of the company's stock valued at $152,000 after acquiring an additional 2,693 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Aura Biosciences by 130.4% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 3,206 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Aura Biosciences by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 69,298 shares of the company's stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 4,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Aura Biosciences by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 20,993 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 5,541 shares during the last quarter. 96.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aura Biosciences

In other Aura Biosciences news, insider Anthony S. Gibney sold 12,824 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $6.42, for a total value of $82,330.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 265,354 shares in the company, valued at $1,703,572.68. This represents a 4.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Aura Biosciences Stock Up 3.5%

Aura Biosciences stock opened at $7.43 on Wednesday. Aura Biosciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $4.73 and a 52-week high of $9.53. The company has a market cap of $770.57 million, a P/E ratio of -4.25 and a beta of 0.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $7.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $6.93.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.48) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.38) by ($0.10). Research analysts anticipate that Aura Biosciences, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AURA. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Aura Biosciences from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. HC Wainwright reduced their price target on shares of Aura Biosciences from $24.00 to $18.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $17.00 price target on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.50.

Aura Biosciences Company Profile

Aura Biosciences is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel virus‐like particle (VLP) therapies for the treatment of cancer. By combining proprietary VLP technology with photoactivatable dyes, Aura aims to deliver highly selective photodynamic therapies that target and destroy tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue. The company's platform is designed to address solid tumors in both ophthalmic and non‐ophthalmic settings, leveraging precision activation via near‐infrared light to induce localized tumor cell apoptosis and stimulate anti‐tumor immune responses.

The lead product candidate, AU-011, is being evaluated in patients with choroidal melanoma, a rare but potentially sight-threatening eye cancer.

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