Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:MIST) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts assign Milestone an average rating of Moderate Buy from six brokers (1 sell, 1 hold, 3 buy, 1 strong buy) with a consensus 12‑month price target of $7.50.
• Shares trade around $1.87 (down 7%) with a market cap of about $220M; the company reported negative EPS (−$0.16 for the quarter, slightly beating estimates) but very low revenue versus expectations and analysts forecast −$0.64 EPS for the year.
• CEO Joseph Oliveto sold 36,500 shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan and insiders sold 106,693 shares last quarter, while insiders own 19.5% and institutional investors own 86.18% of the stock.

Shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:MIST - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $7.50.

MIST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $8.00 target price on shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They issued a "strong-buy" rating and a $6.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th.

Milestone Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 7.0%

NASDAQ MIST opened at $1.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 8.01 and a quick ratio of 7.96. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $220.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.37 and a beta of 0.69. Milestone Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $1.00 and a 12 month high of $3.06.

Milestone Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MIST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, March 20th. The company reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $37.52 million. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Milestone Pharmaceuticals will post -0.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Joseph Oliveto sold 36,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.26, for a total value of $82,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 446,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,008,511.44. This represents a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 106,693 shares of company stock valued at $217,962 in the last quarter. Insiders own 19.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Milestone Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals by 74.6% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 43,235 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Bay Rivers Group raised its stake in shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals by 72.9% during the fourth quarter. Bay Rivers Group now owns 28,861 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 12,170 shares during the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Strategic Family Wealth Counselors L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Milestone Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.18% of the company's stock.

About Milestone Pharmaceuticals

Milestone Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for respiratory diseases. The company's research emphasizes both biologic and small-molecule approaches designed to improve mucociliary clearance, reduce airway inflammation and address chronic and refractory cough. Milestone's pipeline targets key underserved conditions such as cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia and severe asthma.

Milestone's lead product candidates are delivered through inhalation or systemic administration, reflecting the company's commitment to optimizing therapeutic delivery directly to the lungs.

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