Oruka Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ORKA) Hits New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Oruka Therapeutics shares hit a new 52-week high after HC Wainwright raised its price target to $70, and several other firms (UBS $75, Leerink $86, Piper Sandler $75) also boosted targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $74.90 target as the stock traded around $65–$66 on heavy volume.
• Insiders have been selling recently—23,765 shares valued at about $849,575 in the last 90 days (including sales by Joana Goncalves and CEO Lawrence Klein at roughly $41 per share)—but insiders still own 24.69% and institutional investors hold 56.44% of the company.

Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORKA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after HC Wainwright raised their price target on the stock from $40.00 to $70.00. HC Wainwright currently has a buy rating on the stock. Oruka Therapeutics traded as high as $65.64 and last traded at $66.1010, with a volume of 417665 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $61.38.

ORKA has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Oruka Therapeutics from $50.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Oruka Therapeutics from $58.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Oruka Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, December 18th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Oruka Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 13th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.90.

Insider Transactions at Oruka Therapeutics

In other Oruka Therapeutics news, insider Joana Goncalves sold 7,641 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.91, for a total value of $312,593.31. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 33,377 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,365,453.07. This represents a 18.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lawrence Otto Klein sold 1,729 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.30, for a total value of $71,407.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 927,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,297,861.70. The trade was a 0.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,765 shares of company stock valued at $849,575. Insiders own 24.69% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Oruka Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Oruka Therapeutics by 47.2% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,139 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Oruka Therapeutics by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 48,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,476,000 after buying an additional 420 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Oruka Therapeutics by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,041 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 788 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Oruka Therapeutics by 62.4% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,352 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Oruka Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.44% of the company's stock.

Oruka Therapeutics Stock Up 7.5%

The company has a market cap of $3.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -35.47 and a beta of -0.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $40.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.63.

Oruka Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ORKA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.45) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.61) by $0.16. On average, equities analysts expect that Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.41 earnings per share for the current year.

About Oruka Therapeutics

Oruka Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel peptide‐based therapies for oncology. The company's proprietary stapled peptide platform is designed to selectively disrupt intracellular protein–protein interactions that drive tumor growth and immune evasion. By combining the specificity of biologics with the cell‐permeability of small molecules, Oruka aims to target cancer pathways that have been historically considered “undruggable.”

The company's lead candidate, ONCT-01, is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors, assessing safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy.

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