Minerva Neurosciences, Inc (NASDAQ:NERV) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 82.5% in March to 1,020,925 shares (about 2.6% of the float), leaving a short-interest ratio of roughly 1.9 days based on average volume — indicating a notable rise in bearish positioning.
• Large institutional activity: Federated Hermes boosted its stake to 5.37 million shares (a 297.5% increase), and several other funds (Vivo Capital, Logos, Adage, Farallon) opened sizable positions, with institutions now owning 34.56% of the stock.
• Analyst views are mixed but cautious: the consensus rating is "Reduce" with a $7.00 target, HC Wainwright reiterated a neutral stance and raised its target to $7, while Weiss Ratings maintains a sell; NERV trades around $5.51 with a $238 million market cap.

Minerva Neurosciences, Inc (NASDAQ:NERV - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,020,925 shares, a growth of 82.5% from the March 15th total of 559,530 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 538,544 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Minerva Neurosciences by 297.5% during the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,371,775 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $21,595,000 after buying an additional 4,020,500 shares during the period. Vivo Capital LLC acquired a new position in Minerva Neurosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $17,377,000. Logos Global Management LP acquired a new position in Minerva Neurosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $13,310,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in Minerva Neurosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $11,409,000. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Minerva Neurosciences during the 4th quarter worth about $9,507,000. 34.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NERV shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $7.00 price target (up from $4.00) on shares of Minerva Neurosciences in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Minerva Neurosciences from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Minerva Neurosciences in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Minerva Neurosciences presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $7.00.

Minerva Neurosciences Price Performance

Shares of NERV stock opened at $5.51 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.44 million, a P/E ratio of -0.21 and a beta of -0.19. Minerva Neurosciences has a twelve month low of $1.30 and a twelve month high of $12.46. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $6.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.66.

Minerva Neurosciences Company Profile

Minerva Neurosciences, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The company's research and development efforts are directed toward addressing unmet needs in psychiatric and neurological conditions, leveraging its expertise in neuropharmacology and receptor modulation. Minerva's goal is to bring forward differentiated molecules that can offer improved efficacy and safety profiles compared to existing treatments.

The company's most advanced programs include roluperidone (formerly MIN-101), which has been investigated for the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and MIN-117, a novel serotonergic agent being evaluated in major depressive disorder.

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.