Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Capricor Therapeutics shares jumped 12.7%, opening at $10.03 versus a prior close of $8.57, with more than 11.3 million shares traded.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: B. Riley upgraded the stock to “buy” and raised its price target to $21, while the broader consensus is “Hold” with an average target of $30.25.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of $0.70 per share, missing estimates by $0.11, and analysts expect a full-year loss of $1.71 per share. Capricor’s lead candidate, deramiocel (CAP-1002), is being developed for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Shares of Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAPR - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday. The stock had previously closed at $8.57, but opened at $10.03. Capricor Therapeutics shares last traded at $9.65, with a volume of 11,387,103 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on CAPR shares. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $5.00 to $21.00 in a report on Monday, September 14th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Alliance Global Partners cut shares of Capricor Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $7.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Capricor Therapeutics in a report on Monday, July 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $30.25.

Capricor Therapeutics Trading Up 12.7%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $8.15 and a 200 day moving average of $21.51. The company has a market capitalization of $561.52 million, a PE ratio of -3.93 and a beta of 0.72.

Capricor Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CAPR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.70) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.59) by ($0.11). Equities analysts forecast that Capricor Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Capricor Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ACT Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Capricor Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. KBC Group NV acquired a new position in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $44,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $193,000. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Capricor Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $203,000. 21.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Capricor Therapeutics Company Profile

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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