Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $1.27 EPS

Key Points

• Lyell reported a narrower-than-expected loss of ($1.10) EPS for the quarter versus the consensus of ($2.37) — a $1.27 beat — but recorded $0.00M in revenue and reported extremely negative net margin and return-on-equity metrics.
• Shares trade near $20.85 with a market cap of about $486M, and analysts have a mixed stance but a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.00, with individual targets ranging roughly $34–$49 and some recent downgrades.
• Insiders have been net sellers (11,310 shares sold in the last three months) while institutional investors own roughly 66% of the stock and insiders hold about 6.2%.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported ($1.10) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.37) by $1.27, FiscalAI reports. Lyell Immunopharma had a negative return on equity of 90.52% and a negative net margin of 762,355.56%.The firm had revenue of $0.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.01 million.

Lyell Immunopharma Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LYEL opened at $20.85 on Thursday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $22.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.50. Lyell Immunopharma has a fifty-two week low of $7.65 and a fifty-two week high of $45.00. The company has a market cap of $486.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.28 and a beta of -0.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $34.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lyell Immunopharma from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lyell Immunopharma from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $49.00 price target on shares of Lyell Immunopharma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lyell Immunopharma news, COO Stephen J. Hill sold 1,236 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $28,910.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 17,795 shares of the company's stock, valued at $416,225.05. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary K. Lee sold 1,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total value of $39,084.69. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,938 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,179.82. The trade was a 8.98% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,310 shares of company stock valued at $264,285. Insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lyell Immunopharma

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Lyell Immunopharma by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 85,423 shares of the company's stock worth $2,629,000 after buying an additional 5,913 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma in the 4th quarter valued at about $262,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Lyell Immunopharma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $94,000. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Lyell Immunopharma by 107.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 20,827 shares of the company's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 10,768 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Lyell Immunopharma in the 4th quarter worth about $382,000. 66.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.