Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Precision BioSciences to “Sell” from “Hold,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with a $32.25 price target.
• DTIL shares opened at $7.49 and have traded between $3.53 and $9.62 over the past year, while the company reported a quarterly loss of $1.26 per share—$0.46 worse than analyst expectations.
• Institutional investors own about 37.99% of the stock, with several hedge funds recently initiating or expanding positions in the clinical-stage genome-editing company.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JonesTrading reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Precision BioSciences in a report on Friday, April 17th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Precision BioSciences in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Precision BioSciences in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $20.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.25.

Precision BioSciences Stock Up 0.9%

DTIL opened at $7.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $193.24 million, a P/E ratio of -2.67 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 14.02 and a current ratio of 14.02. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $7.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $6.33. Precision BioSciences has a twelve month low of $3.53 and a twelve month high of $9.62.

Precision BioSciences (NASDAQ:DTIL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($1.26) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.80) by ($0.46). Precision BioSciences had a negative net margin of 96.73% and a negative return on equity of 67.70%. Research analysts forecast that Precision BioSciences will post -2.6 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Precision BioSciences

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empery Asset Management LP bought a new position in Precision BioSciences during the fourth quarter worth $9,130,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in Precision BioSciences by 497.1% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 1,066,050 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,435,000 after purchasing an additional 887,515 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Precision BioSciences in the 4th quarter valued at $3,320,000. Affinity Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Precision BioSciences in the 1st quarter worth $3,289,000. Finally, Bleichroeder LP grew its position in Precision BioSciences by 54.7% in the 4th quarter. Bleichroeder LP now owns 1,662,500 shares of the company's stock worth $6,916,000 after purchasing an additional 587,500 shares during the last quarter. 37.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Precision BioSciences

Precision BioSciences is a clinical‐stage genome editing company that leverages its proprietary ARCUS platform to develop targeted gene therapies. ARCUS, an engineered nuclease derived from a naturally occurring enzyme, enables precise DNA modifications for both in vivo and ex vivo applications. The company's pipeline spans genetic diseases—including rare monogenic disorders—and immuno‐oncology, where it is advancing allogeneic cell therapy candidates designed to address hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Founded in 2006 as a spin‐out from research at the University of North Carolina, Precision BioSciences is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with additional research and manufacturing capabilities located in the Research Triangle Park area.

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