Avalyn Pharma (NASDAQ:AVLN) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Avalyn Pharma shares jumped, opening at $35.01 versus a prior close of $33.57, before trading at $34.46 on relatively light volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive: the stock has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $60 average price target, with targets ranging from $52 to $57 among recent bullish analysts.
• The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting a loss of $0.98 per share versus the $1.03 expected, while institutional investors—including Montanova Capital and Braidwell—built significant new positions.

Avalyn Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ:AVLN - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $33.57, but opened at $35.01. Avalyn Pharma shares last traded at $34.46, with a volume of 5,918 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AVLN shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Avalyn Pharma in a report on Monday, May 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $52.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Avalyn Pharma in a report on Thursday, August 13th. They issued a "sell (d+)" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Avalyn Pharma from $53.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Avalyn Pharma from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research raised Avalyn Pharma to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Avalyn Pharma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.00.

Avalyn Pharma Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion and a P/E ratio of -1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 33.12, a current ratio of 33.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business's fifty day moving average price is $32.94.

Avalyn Pharma (NASDAQ:AVLN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported ($0.98) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.03) by $0.05. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Avalyn Pharma Inc. will post -3.81 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Avalyn Pharma

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in Avalyn Pharma in the 2nd quarter valued at $236,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Avalyn Pharma during the second quarter worth $1,321,000. Braidwell LP purchased a new stake in shares of Avalyn Pharma in the second quarter valued at $26,382,000. Finally, Montanova Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Avalyn Pharma in the second quarter valued at $82,402,000.

About Avalyn Pharma

Avalyn Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing inhaled therapies for serious and progressive pulmonary diseases. The company is working to deliver established antifibrotic medicines directly to the lungs through proprietary inhalation technologies, with the goal of improving treatment and potentially reducing systemic exposure and related side effects.

Avalyn's lead program, AP01, is an inhaled formulation of pirfenidone being developed for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease characterized by progressive scarring and declining respiratory function.

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