Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 221,573 Shares of Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ARCT - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,406,843 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 221,573 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.27% of Arcturus Therapeutics worth $35,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 66.3% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 12,327 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 4,915 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 190.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 217,572 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,866,000 after buying an additional 142,633 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,761,900 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $101,421,000 after acquiring an additional 66,971 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arcturus Therapeutics by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,551 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,167,000 after acquiring an additional 3,704 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in Arcturus Therapeutics by 104.2% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 202,235 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,452,000 after acquiring an additional 103,205 shares during the period. 94.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Pad Chivukula sold 8,565 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.01, for a total value of $299,860.65. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 490,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,185,813.83. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 13.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ARCT shares. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on Arcturus Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Arcturus Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, March 8th. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Arcturus Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arcturus Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.33.

Arcturus Therapeutics Stock Up 2.2 %

ARCT traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $32.54. 547,643 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 452,634. The stock has a market cap of $875.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.29 and a beta of 2.60. Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.52 and a 1-year high of $43.81. The stock's 50-day moving average is $35.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.64.

Arcturus Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ARCT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.69) by $1.37. Arcturus Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 18.22% and a negative net margin of 15.65%. The company had revenue of $33.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $64.14 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. will post -1.42 EPS for the current year.

About Arcturus Therapeutics

Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc, a late-stage clinical messenger RNA medicines and vaccine company, focuses on the development of infectious disease vaccines and other products within liver and respiratory rare diseases. Its technology platforms include LUNAR lipid-mediated delivery and STARR mRNA.