Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

Key Points

• Kezar Life Sciences reported quarterly EPS of ($0.78), beating analysts’ consensus estimate of ($0.98) by $0.20.
• The stock rose 1.7% to $7.42 after the earnings release, with trading volume well above average.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Kezar Life Sciences (NASDAQ:KZR - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported ($0.78) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.98) by $0.20, Zacks reports.

Kezar Life Sciences Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ KZR traded up $0.13 during trading on Monday, reaching $7.42. 616,015 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 127,532. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.78 million, a PE ratio of -0.97 and a beta of 0.40. Kezar Life Sciences has a 52-week low of $3.53 and a 52-week high of $7.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Kezar Life Sciences in a report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kezar Life Sciences currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $6.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kezar Life Sciences

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Torno Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at about $126,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences during the 1st quarter valued at about $125,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 26,543 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,312 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Kezar Life Sciences by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 27,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. 67.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kezar Life Sciences Company Profile

Kezar Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel small-molecule therapies that modulate the innate immune system. The company's research centers on selective inhibition of the immunoproteasome, a key protein complex involved in antigen processing and secretion of inflammatory cytokines. By targeting this pathway, Kezar aims to address unmet medical needs in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases with high specificity and a favorable safety profile.

The company's lead development candidate, KZR-616, is a selective immunoproteasome inhibitor being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis, polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

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