Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA) Reaches New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International hit a new 52-week high after Wedbush raised its price target from $59 to $72 and reiterated an outperform rating. The stock traded as high as $61.94, up about 5.1% on the day.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with the consensus rating at Buy and an average target price of $62.71. Recent updates from Jefferies, Zacks Research, and Wells Fargo also pointed to higher targets or stronger ratings.
• Recent earnings beat expectations, as the company reported $0.27 EPS versus the $0.18 estimate and revenue of $214.27 million, up 55.5% year over year. The company’s quarterly results and analyst upgrades helped support the rally.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Wedbush raised their price target on the stock from $59.00 to $72.00. Wedbush currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International traded as high as $61.94 and last traded at $61.84, with a volume of 69222 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.20.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $58.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International news, insider John F. Paolini sold 58,424 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.71, for a total transaction of $3,137,953.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 65,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,524,611.33. This trade represents a 47.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Ross Moat sold 1,703 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.69, for a total transaction of $79,513.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $561,634.01. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 653,301 shares of company stock valued at $34,046,073 over the last 90 days. 51.98% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 176.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 282,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,961,000 after purchasing an additional 180,029 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,112,937 shares of the company's stock worth $128,409,000 after purchasing an additional 49,802 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 77,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,214,000 after purchasing an additional 28,099 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 152.4% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 400,598 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,525,000 after buying an additional 241,876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 288.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 541,396 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,333,000 after buying an additional 402,078 shares during the last quarter. 53.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International Trading Up 5.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.16 and a beta of 0.12. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $52.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.99.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $214.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $206.11 million. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International had a net margin of 9.69% and a return on equity of 13.26%. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International's quarterly revenue was up 55.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.11 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc will post 1.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring and developing therapeutics for patients suffering from lifethreatening and debilitating immune-mediated diseases. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, Kiniksa applies a patient-centric approach to build a diversified portfolio of marketed medicines and clinical-stage candidates targeting inflammation and immunology. The company's core mission is to address complex conditions with significant unmet medical needs by advancing both novel and differentiated therapies.

The company's lead marketed product is Ilaris (canakinumab), an interleukin-1β blocker licensed for the treatment of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, adult-onset Still's disease and Schnitzler syndrome.

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