Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Seven analysts give Maplight Therapeutics an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” (1 sell, 1 hold, 4 buy, 1 strong buy) with a 1‑year average price target of $31.80.
• Earnings miss: The company reported quarterly EPS of ($2.47), missing the consensus of ($1.05) by $1.42.
• Insider activity: Directors Timothy John Garnett and George Pavlov bought 14,124 and 10,658 shares at about $17.89 and $17.48 respectively, though insiders have bought 39,124 shares ($693,846) and sold 74,612 shares ($1,368,065) in the past 90 days.

Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.80.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued a "sell (e)" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Maplight Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Maplight Therapeutics

In related news, Director Timothy John Garnett purchased 14,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $17.89 per share, for a total transaction of $252,678.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at $252,678.36. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director George Pavlov purchased 10,658 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.48 per share, with a total value of $186,301.84. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $186,301.84. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 39,124 shares of company stock valued at $693,846 and have sold 74,612 shares valued at $1,368,065.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Maplight Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $70,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund acquired a new position in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $172,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000.

Maplight Therapeutics Price Performance

Maplight Therapeutics stock opened at $19.23 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $17.83. The firm has a market cap of $872.47 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.52. Maplight Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $12.24 and a 52-week high of $21.55.

Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($2.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.05) by ($1.42).

Maplight Therapeutics Company Profile

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating central nervous system, or CNS, disorders. We were founded by globally recognized leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience research to address the lack of circuit-specific pharmacotherapies available for patients. Our discovery platform holds the potential to fill this void by identifying neural circuits causally linked to disease and targeting those circuits for therapeutic modulation.

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