KALA BIO, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALA) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest plunged 83.3% to 1,137,572 shares as of March 31 (about 0.1% of the float), leaving a short-interest ratio of 0.3 days.
• KALA BIO shares traded at $0.20 midday (up 10.9%) with a market capitalization of $185 million and a 52‑week range of $0.15–$20.60, highlighting extreme recent volatility.
• Consensus analyst rating is a "Hold" (one Buy, four Hold, one Sell) with a $20.38 target while Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)", and institutional investors own roughly 24.6% of the stock with Baker Bros increasing its stake materially.

KALA BIO, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,137,572 shares, a decrease of 83.3% from the March 15th total of 6,830,724 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,664,677 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of KALA BIO in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, KALA BIO currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.38.

KALA BIO Stock Up 10.9%

KALA traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $0.20. 2,976,607 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,582,802. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.00 million, a PE ratio of -0.03 and a beta of -1.98. The company's 50-day moving average is $0.31 and its 200 day moving average is $1.14. KALA BIO has a 52 week low of $0.15 and a 52 week high of $20.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KALA BIO

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of KALA BIO in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of KALA BIO in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of KALA BIO in the 4th quarter worth approximately $80,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of KALA BIO by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 56,367 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Finally, Baker BROS. Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of KALA BIO by 83.1% in the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,804,055 shares of the company's stock worth $1,003,000 after purchasing an additional 818,962 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 24.61% of the company's stock.

KALA BIO Company Profile

KALA Bio NASDAQ: KALA is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for ocular diseases. The company's proprietary surface charge–based nanoparticle delivery platform is designed to enhance penetration and retention of therapeutic agents on the ocular surface. This technology is the basis for its lead product, Eysuvis (KPI-121 1.0%), an FDA-approved topical corticosteroid for short-term relief of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.

Beyond its approved therapy, KALA Bio is advancing a pipeline of investigational drug candidates targeting inflammatory and degenerative eye conditions.

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