Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) Shares Gap Up After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• B. Riley upgraded Capricor Therapeutics to “Buy” from “Neutral” and set a $21 price target, prompting the stock to gap from $8.37 to $9.10 before trading around $8.84.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: five analysts rate the stock Buy, six Hold and one Sell, with an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $30.25.
• Capricor remains a high-risk, catalyst-driven biotech; it recently missed quarterly earnings expectations, insiders have been selling shares, and a securities class-action campaign adds legal overhang.

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR - Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Monday after B Riley upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to a buy rating. The stock had previously closed at $8.37, but opened at $9.10. Capricor Therapeutics shares last traded at $8.8360, with a volume of 692,821 shares changing hands.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on CAPR. B. Riley Financial raised Capricor Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $21.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday. Roth Capital cut Capricor Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $7.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, July 27th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded Capricor Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Alliance Global Partners lowered Capricor Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $7.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Capricor Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $30.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Anthony Bergmann sold 24,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.38, for a total transaction of $732,158.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 11,223 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,954.74. This trade represents a 68.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last quarter, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $759,158. 9.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Capricor Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Capricor Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: B. Riley upgraded CAPR to “Buy” and set a $21 price target, implying substantial upside from the reference price of $8.37. The upgrade suggests the firm sees the recent selloff as excessive and believes Capricor’s pipeline could recover value. Briefing.com analyst upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Capricor remains a high-risk, binary biotechnology investment. A recent market overview identified the company as having pivotal clinical or regulatory catalysts before the end of 2026. Results from these events could materially change expectations for the company’s lead programs and cause significant volatility. MarketBeat article on small-cap biotech catalysts
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms are promoting a securities class action against Capricor and certain executives. The lawsuit covers investors who purchased shares between December 17, 2025, and July 26, 2026, and alleges securities-law violations connected to clinical-data disclosures and a significant stock decline. Investors have until September 28, 2026, to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. The notices are largely repetitive and do not establish wrongdoing, but they add legal overhang, potential costs and reputational risk. Kaplan Fox class action announcement

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CAPR. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Capricor Therapeutics by 39.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 411,141 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,902,000 after purchasing an additional 116,373 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 8.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 41,273 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 3,205 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 7.3% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 53,450 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 3,636 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $796,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics by 42.6% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 232,536 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,309,000 after buying an additional 69,515 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 21.68% of the company's stock.

Capricor Therapeutics Trading Up 5.6%

The stock has a market cap of $513.67 million, a PE ratio of -3.60 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $11.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.18.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.70) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by ($0.11). On average, equities analysts predict that Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

About Capricor Therapeutics

Capricor Therapeutics, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on developing cell- and exosome-based therapies for serious diseases. The company's programs are designed to use regenerative medicine and targeted delivery technologies to address conditions with limited treatment options.

Its leading therapeutic candidate is deramiocel, also known as CAP-1002, an allogeneic cell therapy derived from cardiosphere-derived cells. The program has been studied primarily for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and cardiac complications.

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