KBC Group NV Raises Stock Holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. $XENE

Key Points

• KBC Group NV dramatically increased its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals in Q1, boosting holdings by 4,540.6% to 129,010 shares valued at about $7.5 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 95.45% of Xenon’s stock; several large firms also added to positions during recent quarters.
• Wall Street sentiment is mostly positive, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $77.20, though Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell rating. Xenon last traded at $66.18 and recently reported EPS in line with expectations.

KBC Group NV boosted its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:XENE - Free Report) by 4,540.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,010 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 126,230 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.13% of Xenon Pharmaceuticals worth $7,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,424,444 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $243,124,000 after buying an additional 24,444 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,084,034 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $183,110,000 after acquiring an additional 140,149 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 66.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,609,857 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $144,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,435,096 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,414,959 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $153,058,000 after acquiring an additional 233,466 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commodore Capital LP grew its holdings in Xenon Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% in the second quarter. Commodore Capital LP now owns 3,025,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $94,682,000 after purchasing an additional 700,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.45% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on XENE. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Xenon Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $77.20.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Xenon Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $66.18 on Thursday. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a one year low of $30.00 and a one year high of $72.66. The business's fifty day moving average is $57.89 and its 200 day moving average is $52.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.40 billion, a PE ratio of -14.08 and a beta of 0.61.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:XENE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.17). During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.83) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. will post -4.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Xenon Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Gillian Cannon sold 1,190 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.14, for a total transaction of $63,236.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,455 shares in the company, valued at $77,318.70. This represents a 44.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Patou sold 1,322 shares of Xenon Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.14, for a total transaction of $70,251.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,322,973.44. This trade represents a 5.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.91% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel, small‐molecule drugs targeting ion channels in the central and peripheral nervous system. The company's research focus centers on neurological and pain disorders—including epilepsy, migraine, and neuropathic pain—by modulating key ion‐channel proteins to restore normal neuronal function. Xenon's scientific platform draws upon advances in ion‐channel biology and structure‐based drug design to identify and optimize therapeutic candidates with the potential for improved safety and efficacy profiles compared with existing treatments.

The company's pipeline comprises multiple preclinical and clinical programs.

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