Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA) Reaches New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KNSA) hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $59.94 after a 3.9% move higher, reflecting strong recent momentum in the stock.
• Analysts remain bullish: several firms recently raised ratings or price targets, and the stock carries a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $60.86.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, with revenue up 55.5% year over year; however, insiders have also been selling shares in recent months.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $59.94 and last traded at $59.60, with a volume of 447286 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $57.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KNSA shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $58.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wedbush raised their price objective on Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and eight have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $60.86.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International Trading Up 3.9%

The firm has a market cap of $4.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.93 and a beta of 0.12. The stock's 50 day moving average is $51.22 and its 200 day moving average is $46.49.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.09. The firm 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%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 55.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.11 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc will post 1.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

In other Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International news, COO Ross Moat sold 2,367 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.58, for a total transaction of $114,988.86. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,029 shares in the company, valued at $584,368.82. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Michael R. Megna sold 6,625 shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.69, for a total value of $309,321.25. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 27,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,280,146.42. This represents a 19.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 653,301 shares of company stock worth $34,046,073. 51.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KNSA. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 220.9% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 735,940 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,436,000 after acquiring an additional 506,576 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 213.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 481,023 shares of the company's stock worth $23,197,000 after purchasing an additional 327,595 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 41,975 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,021,000 after purchasing an additional 10,477 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 3,750,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $180,562,000 after purchasing an additional 421,347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 63,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,050,000 after purchasing an additional 22,917 shares during the last quarter. 53.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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