KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) CEO Sells $193,101.00 in Stock

Key Points

• CEO Benjamin Palleiko sold 9,550 shares on April 17 at an average of $20.22 for $193,101, cutting his stake by 2.02% to 462,577 shares; the sale was made to cover tax withholding from vested equity awards.
• KalVista shares traded up 1.9% to $20.87, trading near a 12‑month high of $21.31 with a market cap of about $1.07 billion and a negative P/E (‑5.28), reflecting the company's lack of profitability.
• Several institutional investors have recently added or increased positions (notably Vestal Point), and analysts are largely positive with seven Buy ratings versus one Sell and an average price target of $32.60.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV - Get Free Report) CEO Benjamin Palleiko sold 9,550 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.22, for a total transaction of $193,101.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 462,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,353,306.94. The trade was a 2.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 1.9%

NASDAQ:KALV traded up $0.39 on Monday, reaching $20.87. The stock had a trading volume of 703,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,194,639. The company has a current ratio of 7.22, a quick ratio of 7.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $17.50 and a 200 day moving average of $15.23. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.28 and a beta of -0.40. KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.83 and a 12-month high of $21.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KalVista Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Seven Fleet Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $782,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 77,864 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 14,621 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $428,000. Vestal Point Capital LP increased its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 152.0% in the fourth quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 1,890,000 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $30,524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140,000 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 364.9% in the fourth quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers LLC now owns 40,414 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $653,000 after purchasing an additional 31,721 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, KalVista Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.60.

About KalVista Pharmaceuticals

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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