Insider Selling: Compugen (NASDAQ:CGEN) CEO Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• CEO Eran Ophir sold 5,000 shares on April 14 at $2.90 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, cutting his direct stake to 11,375 shares (a 30.53% reduction); he also sold 5,625 shares on April 1 at $2.21.
• EPS beat: Compugen reported $0.60 EPS vs. a $0.05 consensus and $67.33M revenue (vs. $14.3M expected), driving a 48.6% net margin and 55.7% return on equity for the quarter.
• Shares trade near $2.89 on heavier-than-usual volume (671,759 vs. avg 395,055), with a market cap of ~$273M and a P/E of 7.8; analysts give a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and a $5.00 price target.

Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN - Get Free Report) CEO Eran Ophir sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.90, for a total transaction of $14,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $32,987.50. This represents a 30.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Eran Ophir also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, April 1st, Eran Ophir sold 5,625 shares of Compugen stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.21, for a total transaction of $12,431.25.

Compugen Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CGEN traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $2.89. 671,759 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 395,055. The company's 50 day moving average is $2.04 and its 200 day moving average is $1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $273.25 million, a P/E ratio of 7.81 and a beta of 2.77. Compugen Ltd. has a one year low of $1.23 and a one year high of $2.94.

Compugen (NASDAQ:CGEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The biotechnology company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $67.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.30 million. Compugen had a net margin of 48.57% and a return on equity of 55.68%. Research analysts anticipate that Compugen Ltd. will post -0.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Compugen

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Compugen in the 4th quarter valued at $104,000. Bank Hapoalim BM bought a new stake in Compugen in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA bought a new stake in Compugen in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Compugen by 135.7% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 106,304 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 61,202 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Compugen by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 393,802 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $603,000 after buying an additional 14,701 shares in the last quarter. 12.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on CGEN shares. Truist Financial raised shares of Compugen to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Compugen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Compugen in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $6.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Compugen in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Compugen in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $4.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Compugen has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $5.00.

About Compugen

Compugen Ltd. NASDAQ: CGEN is a clinical-stage therapeutic discovery company that leverages proprietary computational discovery platforms to identify novel immuno-oncology targets and biomarkers. The company combines large-scale biological datasets with machine learning algorithms to generate and validate new therapeutic and diagnostic candidates. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Compugen also maintains a presence in the United States to support its clinical development and commercial collaborations.

Compugen's predictive discovery engine scans complex biological systems in silico to reveal previously unrecognized pathways and immune checkpoints involved in cancer progression.

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