KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded KalVista (NASDAQ:KALV) from a "hold" to a "buy" in a report issued Monday, reflecting growing analyst optimism.
• Analyst consensus is bullish: seven analysts rate the stock a Buy and one a Sell, with a consensus target price of $32.60 versus Monday's open of $19.39 (52-week range $9.83–$21.31).
• Notable insider selling: CEO Benjamin Palleiko and CFO Brian Piekos sold shares on Feb. 23, and insiders disposed of 248,009 shares worth $4.21 million in the last quarter, leaving insiders with 4.30% ownership.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Monday.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on KALV. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals from $27.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.60.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ KALV opened at $19.39 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.21, a current ratio of 7.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.18. KalVista Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $9.83 and a 52 week high of $21.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $16.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $993.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.91 and a beta of -0.40.

Insider Activity at KalVista Pharmaceuticals

In other KalVista Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Brian Piekos sold 1,767 shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.57, for a total transaction of $27,512.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,762 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,274.34. The trade was a 11.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Benjamin L. Palleiko sold 10,034 shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.57, for a total transaction of $156,229.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 442,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,895,688.31. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 248,009 shares of company stock valued at $4,213,467 in the last quarter. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KalVista Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KALV. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $646,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 13.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 24,325 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 339,936 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,923,000 after acquiring an additional 12,263 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 20.0% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 33,380 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 5,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of KalVista Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 54,376 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $615,000 after buying an additional 1,458 shares during the last quarter.

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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