JonesTrading Reiterates Buy Rating for Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL)

Key Points

• JonesTrading reiterated a Buy rating on Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) with a $30.00 price target—implying roughly a 288% upside—and MarketBeat's consensus rating is "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $36.33.
• Insider selling has been notable: CEO Michael Amoroso sold 20,559 shares (and another insider sold 10,200), with total insider sales of 93,845 shares over the past 90 days; insiders now own about 4.50% of the company.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by stock analysts at JonesTrading in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $30.00 price target on the stock. JonesTrading's price objective indicates a potential upside of 288.10% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Precision BioSciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.33.

Precision BioSciences Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:DTIL opened at $7.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $199.46 million, a PE ratio of -1.51 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 13.32 and a quick ratio of 13.32. Precision BioSciences has a 1 year low of $3.53 and a 1 year high of $8.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $5.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $5.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael Amoroso sold 20,559 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.84, for a total value of $78,946.56. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 243,392 shares in the company, valued at $934,625.28. This represents a 7.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider J. Jefferson Smith sold 10,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.03, for a total transaction of $41,106.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 110,184 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $444,041.52. This trade represents a 8.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 93,845 shares of company stock valued at $376,677. 4.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DTIL. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Precision BioSciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new stake in shares of Precision BioSciences in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new position in Precision BioSciences during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in Precision BioSciences during the third quarter worth $72,000. Finally, Miller Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Precision BioSciences by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Miller Financial Services LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.99% of the company's stock.

About Precision BioSciences

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company's pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.

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