Oculis (NASDAQ:OCS) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week high — Oculis traded as high as $31.01 (last ~$29.55) while analyst sentiment skews positive with seven Buys versus one Sell and an average price target of $43.86.
• Despite the rally, the company remains unprofitable: it reported Q EPS of ($0.51) vs. ($0.43) expected, has extremely negative margins and a -2.17 EPS forecast for the year, though liquidity metrics are strong (current and quick ratio 5.96).
• Oculis is a clinical-stage ophthalmic biotech developing topical and nasal therapies (OCS-01, OCS-05, OC-02) aimed at delivering drugs to the back of the eye as alternatives to intravitreal injections.

Oculis Holding AG (NASDAQ:OCS - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $31.01 and last traded at $29.5540, with a volume of 112167 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Oculis from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on Oculis from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Oculis in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $44.00 price objective on shares of Oculis in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Oculis from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.86.

Oculis Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.66 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 5.96, a quick ratio of 5.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Oculis (NASDAQ:OCS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported ($0.51) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.43) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $0.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $0.14 million. Oculis had a negative net margin of 8,173.41% and a negative return on equity of 62.12%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Oculis Holding AG will post -2.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Oculis

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in OCS. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Oculis by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oculis during the fourth quarter worth $80,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Oculis during the first quarter worth $238,000. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oculis during the fourth quarter worth $312,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Oculis during the second quarter worth $393,000. 22.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Oculis Company Profile

Oculis SA NASDAQ: OCS is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel ophthalmic therapies designed primarily to treat retinal and neuro-ophthalmic diseases. Leveraging its proprietary technology platforms, Oculis aims to deliver therapeutic agents to the back of the eye through topical or nasal administration, potentially offering an alternative to current intravitreal injections. The company’s pipeline includes OCS-01, a topical dexamethasone formulation targeting diabetic macular edema; OCS-05, a neuroprotective candidate for acute optic neuritis and idiopathic intracranial hypertension; and OC-02, a nasal spray formulation of varenicline for dry eye disease.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Oculis operates research and development facilities across Europe and in the United States, with a presence in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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.