Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Lyell Immunopharma from a "hold" to a "sell," though analyst coverage is mixed (four Buys, two Sells) and the consensus rating remains a Hold with an average price target of $43.00.
• Company posted a major earnings miss — Q EPS of –$7.68 vs. –$2.15 expected, essentially zero revenue and very negative margins; analysts forecast –10.45 EPS for the year while the stock trades near $20.83 (market cap ≈ $486M, 52-week range $7.65–$45.00).
• Insiders have been selling (11,310 shares over 90 days) though they still own 22.3% of the stock, and institutional ownership is high (~66%) with recent large stakes or increases from GSK, MWG, ARCH and Vanguard.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lyell Immunopharma from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They issued a "market outperform" rating and a $34.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $49.00 price objective on Lyell Immunopharma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lyell Immunopharma presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $43.00.

Lyell Immunopharma Trading Up 5.6%

Lyell Immunopharma stock opened at $20.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $485.96 million, a PE ratio of -1.28 and a beta of -0.05. Lyell Immunopharma has a 1 year low of $7.65 and a 1 year high of $45.00. The company's 50-day moving average is $22.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.35.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($7.68) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($2.15) by ($5.53). The business had revenue of $0.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.02 million. Lyell Immunopharma had a negative return on equity of 90.52% and a negative net margin of 762,355.56%. Research analysts forecast that Lyell Immunopharma will post -10.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lyell Immunopharma

In other Lyell Immunopharma news, insider Gary K. Lee sold 1,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $39,084.69. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,179.82. This trade represents a 8.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Stephen J. Hill sold 1,236 shares of Lyell Immunopharma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total transaction of $28,910.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 17,795 shares in the company, valued at approximately $416,225.05. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,310 shares of company stock valued at $264,285. Corporate insiders own 22.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GSK plc acquired a new position in shares of Lyell Immunopharma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,560,000. MWG Caph Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Lyell Immunopharma during the fourth quarter worth $31,030,000. ARCH Venture Management LLC boosted its stake in Lyell Immunopharma by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter. ARCH Venture Management LLC now owns 2,759,072 shares of the company's stock worth $44,807,000 after purchasing an additional 938,438 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Lyell Immunopharma by 204.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 660,899 shares of the company's stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 443,614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lyell Immunopharma by 76.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 779,004 shares of the company's stock worth $12,651,000 after purchasing an additional 336,378 shares in the last quarter. 66.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lyell Immunopharma

Lyell Immunopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation T cell therapies for cancer. Leveraging a proprietary platform that combines cell therapy, gene editing and molecular discovery, Lyell seeks to overcome key barriers in the treatment of solid tumors. The company's approach centers on engineering T cells to enhance their persistence, functionality and resistance to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

The company's pipeline includes multiple autologous T cell programs engineered to target tumor-associated antigens in solid malignancies such as melanoma, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.

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