Levin Capital Strategies L.P. Sells 591,688 Shares of Aura Biosciences, Inc. $AURA

Key Points

• Levin Capital Strategies L.P. cut its stake in Aura Biosciences by 36.4% in Q4, selling 591,688 shares and now holding 1,035,586 shares (about 1.63% of the company) valued at roughly $5.64 million.
• Institutional activity was significant: Nantahala increased its position by 850,000 shares to ~2.12 million, institutional ownership stands at about 96.75%, while insiders have sold 116,305 shares in the last 90 days and now own 6.30%.
• AURA trades around $6.73 with a $432 million market cap and reported Q1 EPS of -$0.37 (beating estimates); analysts have an average "Hold" rating and a consensus target price of $21.50, with HC Wainwright raising its target to $24.00.

Levin Capital Strategies L.P. trimmed its stake in Aura Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AURA - Free Report) by 36.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,035,586 shares of the company's stock after selling 591,688 shares during the period. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. owned approximately 1.63% of Aura Biosciences worth $5,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AURA. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Aura Biosciences in the first quarter worth approximately $137,000. Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth approximately $76,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Aura Biosciences by 67.1% in the second quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 2,117,697 shares of the company's stock worth $13,257,000 after purchasing an additional 850,000 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Aura Biosciences by 31.1% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 84,558 shares of the company's stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 20,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Aura Biosciences in the second quarter worth approximately $102,000. 96.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Aura Biosciences Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of AURA stock opened at $6.73 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $6.45 and a 200 day moving average of $5.99. Aura Biosciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.34 and a 52 week high of $7.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $432.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.76 and a beta of 0.35.

Aura Biosciences (NASDAQ:AURA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 30th. The company reported ($0.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.43) by $0.06. Equities research analysts anticipate that Aura Biosciences, Inc. will post -1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AURA shares. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of Aura Biosciences from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Aura Biosciences in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Aura Biosciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Aura Biosciences presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Aura Biosciences news, SVP Amy Elazzouzi sold 8,549 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.06, for a total value of $43,257.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 75,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $382,191.92. This represents a 10.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Conor Kilroy sold 12,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.05, for a total value of $60,998.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 167,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $844,531.70. This trade represents a 6.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 116,305 shares of company stock valued at $611,230 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 6.30% of the company's stock.

Aura Biosciences 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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