Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Hold" Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Lyell Immunopharma from a "sell" to a "hold"; analysts remain mixed overall with a MarketBeat consensus of Hold and an average price target of $41 (Needham: Buy, $44; Zacks: Strong Sell).
• Lyell posted a heavy earnings miss for the quarter (EPS $(7.68) vs. $(2.15) estimate), reported negligible revenue ($0.01M) and extreme negative margins and return on equity.
• Shares trade around $24 (12‑month range $7.65–$45) amid recent insider selling (11,310 shares worth ~$264k in the last 90 days); insiders own 22.3% of the stock while institutions hold 66.05%.

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on LYEL. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $44.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citizens Jmp assumed coverage on Lyell Immunopharma in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Lyell Immunopharma from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.00.

Lyell Immunopharma Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ LYEL opened at $24.01 on Friday. Lyell Immunopharma has a twelve month low of $7.65 and a twelve month high of $45.00. The company has a market capitalization of $560.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.47 and a beta of -0.06. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $22.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.02.

Lyell Immunopharma (NASDAQ:LYEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($7.68) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($2.15) by ($5.53). Lyell Immunopharma had a negative net margin of 762,355.56% and a negative return on equity of 90.52%. The firm had revenue of $0.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.02 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lyell Immunopharma will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lyell Immunopharma

In other Lyell Immunopharma news, insider Gary K. Lee sold 1,671 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.39, for a total transaction of $39,084.69. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Lynn Seely sold 7,455 shares of the business'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 $174,372.45. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 74,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,737,081.74. This trade represents a 9.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 11,310 shares of company stock worth $264,285 in the last 90 days. 22.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new position in Lyell Immunopharma during the 4th quarter worth $3,036,000. MWG Caph Ltd acquired a new position in Lyell Immunopharma during the 4th quarter worth $31,030,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Lyell Immunopharma during the 4th quarter worth $262,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Lyell Immunopharma by 1,239.5% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 15,967 shares of the company's stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 14,775 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Lyell Immunopharma during the 4th quarter worth $2,257,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.05% of the company's stock.

Lyell Immunopharma Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.