James Woodruff Lillie Sells 24,811 Shares of Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) Stock

Key Points

• Insider sales: Director James Woodruff Lillie sold a total of about 51,707 shares of MPLT across May 4–6 (including 24,811 shares on May 6) for roughly $1.47M, reducing his stake by 9.25% to 243,450 shares; the trades were executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Market and analyst backdrop: MPLT traded up ~4% to $29.04 with a $1.24B market cap, while analysts show mostly bullish coverage (consensus "Moderate Buy," $34.43 target and several recent Buy initiations) but the company reported a sizable Q1 EPS miss (-$2.47 vs. -$1.05) and faces continued loss/cash‑burn risk per forecasts.

Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) insider James Woodruff Lillie sold 24,811 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total value of $713,564.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 243,450 shares in the company, valued at $7,001,622. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

James Woodruff Lillie also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, May 5th, James Woodruff Lillie sold 11,095 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.20, for a total value of $312,879.00.
• On Monday, May 4th, James Woodruff Lillie sold 15,801 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.96, for a total value of $441,795.96.

Maplight Therapeutics Trading Up 4.0%

MPLT stock traded up $1.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $29.04. The stock had a trading volume of 267,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 342,018. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.73. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $22.60. Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.24 and a 52-week high of $33.28.

Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($2.47) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.05) by ($1.42). Equities research analysts expect that Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 EPS for the current year.

Maplight Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplight Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its "Buy" rating on MPLT, signaling continued analyst conviction that the shares have upside. Needham Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright initiated/updated coverage with a "Buy" rating and a $45 price target (roughly mid‑50% upside from recent levels), which can attract buyers and support the rally. Many outlets reported the new coverage and target. HC Wainwright Coverage & Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar and market quote pages show current trading context (price, volume, 50‑day moving average) that traders use to gauge technical support/resistance. Use these pages for up‑to‑date quotes. Morningstar Quote
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright's detailed forecasts also project larger net losses over 2026–2027 (FY2026 EPS ~ -$4.34; FY2027 EPS ~ -$5.25) and quarterly losses through 2027 — data that underscores continued cash‑burn and execution risk for a clinical‑stage biotech. This raises downside risk if clinical or financing progress stalls. Analyst Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Recent reported results included a sizable Q1 EPS miss (reported -$2.47 vs. consensus -$1.05), which remains a reminder of earnings volatility and could pressure sentiment if follow‑up data or guidance are weak. Recent Earnings Miss

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MPLT. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a "sell (e)" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded Maplight Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Maplight Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.43.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $70,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new position in shares of Maplight Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $93,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $172,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Maplight Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000.

About Maplight Therapeutics

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating central nervous system, or CNS, disorders. We were founded by globally recognized leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience research to address the lack of circuit-specific pharmacotherapies available for patients. Our discovery platform holds the potential to fill this void by identifying neural circuits causally linked to disease and targeting those circuits for therapeutic modulation.

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