Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Pulse Biosciences shares reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $58.90 before closing at $52.97, with the stock up significantly above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analyst sentiment is generally positive: four analysts rate the stock a Buy, one rates it a Sell, and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a $45.25 target price—below the latest trading level.
• The company remains unprofitable and missed quarterly expectations, reporting a $0.36 per-share loss versus the $0.29 consensus estimate and revenue of $0.43 million versus $0.53 million expected. Insiders and institutional investors have continued buying shares, but the stock’s negative margins and high valuation add risk.

Pulse Biosciences, Inc (NASDAQ:PLSE - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $58.90 and last traded at $52.97, with a volume of 1560345 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $48.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Pulse Biosciences in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Pulse Biosciences in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $58.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Pulse Biosciences in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Mizuho set a $45.00 price objective on Pulse Biosciences in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Pulse Biosciences from $32.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pulse Biosciences has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $45.25.

Pulse Biosciences Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average price is $39.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.61. The company has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.89 and a beta of 1.63.

Pulse Biosciences (NASDAQ:PLSE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported ($0.36) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.29) by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $0.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.53 million. Pulse Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 94.42% and a negative net margin of 6,755.78%. As a group, analysts forecast that Pulse Biosciences, Inc will post -1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Liane Teplitsky acquired 1,036 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.23 per share, with a total value of $49,966.28. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 1,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,966.28. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 4,095 shares of company stock worth $199,931. 74.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PLSE. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Pulse Biosciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,672,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Pulse Biosciences during the second quarter worth approximately $40,115,000. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Pulse Biosciences by 2,600.0% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 567,883 shares of the company's stock worth $15,747,000 after purchasing an additional 546,850 shares in the last quarter. Portolan Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pulse Biosciences in the 3rd quarter worth $1,809,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Pulse Biosciences by 330.7% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 130,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,844,000 after purchasing an additional 100,081 shares during the period. 76.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Pulse Biosciences

Pulse Biosciences, Inc is a clinical-stage bioelectric medicine company that develops and commercializes medical devices based on its proprietary Tissue NanoPoration (TNP) platform. The company’s core technology, NanoPulse Stimulation (NPS), delivers ultrashort, high-voltage electric pulses to targeted tissue, triggering cellular responses without the thermal damage associated with traditional energy-based devices. Pulse Biosciences focuses on applications in dermatology and aesthetic medicine, where controlled ablation of unwanted lesions is critical.

The company’s flagship product, the CellFX® System, is designed to treat a range of benign and malignant skin lesions, including seborrheic keratosis, non-melanoma skin cancers, and various epidermal and dermal lesions.

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