KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• KalVista Pharmaceuticals has a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" from nine brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of $30.60.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed, including several downgrades to Hold and one Sell rating, while Stifel Nicolaus raised its target to $42 and kept a Buy rating.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.43 per share, slightly worse than expected, while insider selling and heavy institutional ownership were also highlighted in the report.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.60.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KALV. Wall Street Zen cut KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. JonesTrading cut KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC cut KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insider Activity at KalVista Pharmaceuticals

In other KalVista Pharmaceuticals news, insider Paul K. Audhya sold 2,686 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.22, for a total value of $54,310.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 142,547 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,882,300.34. This trade represents a 1.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Benjamin L. Palleiko sold 3,322 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.71, for a total value of $88,730.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 466,375 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,456,876.25. This trade represents a 0.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 261,736 shares of company stock worth $4,539,236 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,501,119 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $30,464,000 after acquiring an additional 88,720 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $24,360,000. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,911,691 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $30,874,000 after acquiring an additional 336,195 shares in the last quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 152.0% in the 4th quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 1,890,000 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $30,524,000 after acquiring an additional 1,140,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 155.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC now owns 1,735,003 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $21,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,055,940 shares in the last quarter.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

KALV opened at $26.81 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $21.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.09. KalVista Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $9.83 and a 12-month high of $26.85. The company has a current ratio of 5.17, a quick ratio of 5.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.75 and a beta of -0.12.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 15th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported ($0.43) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.38) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $39.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.03 million. Equities analysts predict that KalVista Pharmaceuticals will post -0.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

KalVista Pharmaceuticals is a clinical‐stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small‐molecule protease inhibitors for orphan and specialty disease indications. The firm's scientific platform centers on selective inhibition of plasma kallikrein, a serine protease implicated in disorders characterized by vascular leak, edema and inflammation. KalVista's approach leverages oral and intravitreal delivery formats to target both systemic and ophthalmic conditions.

The company's lead programs include an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor in clinical trials for the acute treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks and an intravitreal kallikrein inhibitor being evaluated for diabetic macular edema.

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