Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT) Insider James Woodruff Lillie Sells 11,095 Shares

Key Points

• Insider James Woodruff Lillie sold a total of 51,707 shares across three trades (May 4–6) at average prices between ~$27.96 and $28.76 under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan, raising roughly $1.47 million; after the May 5 sale he was reported to own 268,261 shares.
• Shares traded up about 4.0% to $29.04, the company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, and analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy with a $34.43 target (with some firms assigning targets up to $45).
• Maplight posted a sizable Q1 EPS miss (‑$2.47 vs. consensus ‑$1.05) and carries negative forward EPS estimates, highlighting ongoing cash‑burn and execution risk for the clinical‑stage biotech.

Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) insider James Woodruff Lillie sold 11,095 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.20, for a total transaction of $312,879.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 268,261 shares in the company, valued at $7,564,960.20. This trade represents a 3.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

James Woodruff Lillie also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, May 6th, James Woodruff Lillie sold 24,811 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.76, for a total transaction of $713,564.36.
• On Monday, May 4th, James Woodruff Lillie sold 15,801 shares of Maplight Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.96, for a total transaction of $441,795.96.

Maplight Therapeutics Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:MPLT traded up $1.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.04. 267,979 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 342,018. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.73. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $22.60. Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.24 and a 12-month high of $33.28.

Maplight Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MPLT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 26th. The company reported ($2.47) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.05) by ($1.42). On average, sell-side analysts expect that Maplight Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MPLT. Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set a "sell (e)" rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Maplight Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Maplight Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.43.

Institutional Trading of Maplight Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MPLT. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Maplight Therapeutics by 10.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 39,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $802,000 after buying an additional 3,608 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Maplight Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,168,000. Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Maplight Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $228,000. Vestal Point Capital LP purchased a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,763,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Maplight Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $840,000.

Maplight Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Maplight Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Needham reaffirmed its "Buy" rating on MPLT, signaling continued analyst conviction that the shares have upside. Needham Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright initiated/updated coverage with a "Buy" rating and a $45 price target (roughly mid‑50% upside from recent levels), which can attract buyers and support the rally. Many outlets reported the new coverage and target. HC Wainwright Coverage & Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Morningstar and market quote pages show current trading context (price, volume, 50‑day moving average) that traders use to gauge technical support/resistance. Use these pages for up‑to‑date quotes. Morningstar Quote
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright's detailed forecasts also project larger net losses over 2026–2027 (FY2026 EPS ~ -$4.34; FY2027 EPS ~ -$5.25) and quarterly losses through 2027 — data that underscores continued cash‑burn and execution risk for a clinical‑stage biotech. This raises downside risk if clinical or financing progress stalls. Analyst Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Recent reported results included a sizable Q1 EPS miss (reported -$2.47 vs. consensus -$1.05), which remains a reminder of earnings volatility and could pressure sentiment if follow‑up data or guidance are weak. Recent Earnings Miss

About Maplight Therapeutics

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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