Rapid Micro Biosystems (NASDAQ:RPID) Cut to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Rapid Micro Biosystems to a Sell from Hold, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (D-)," while MarketBeat's consensus remains a Hold with an average price target of $8.00.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of ($0.28), missing estimates by $0.05 and showing a negative ROE (95.4%) and net margin (-140.3%); analysts forecast roughly -1.1 EPS for the fiscal year despite a slight revenue beat.
• Insiders sold 249,705 shares (~$1.02M) last quarter, including recent sales by the COO and CFO, as the stock trades around $2.27 with a market cap of about $103 million and a 52‑week range of $1.86–$4.94.

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

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Rapid Micro Biosystems in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Rapid Micro Biosystems currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $8.00.

Rapid Micro Biosystems Stock Performance

Shares of RPID opened at $2.27 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a current ratio of 3.31. Rapid Micro Biosystems has a 52-week low of $1.86 and a 52-week high of $4.94. The company has a market cap of $103.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.12 and a beta of 1.59.

Rapid Micro Biosystems (NASDAQ:RPID - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The company reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.23) by ($0.05). Rapid Micro Biosystems had a negative return on equity of 95.40% and a negative net margin of 140.30%.The business had revenue of $11.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.93 million. Analysts predict that Rapid Micro Biosystems will post -1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Rapid Micro Biosystems

In other news, COO John J. Addington Wilson sold 9,603 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.32, for a total transaction of $41,484.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 316,762 shares in the company, valued at $1,368,411.84. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Sean M. Wirtjes sold 17,254 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.92, for a total value of $67,635.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 563,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,209,602.08. The trade was a 2.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 249,705 shares of company stock worth $1,021,364 in the last quarter. 29.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Rapid Micro Biosystems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Rapid Micro Biosystems by 355.1% during the 3rd quarter. Evernest Financial Advisors LLC now owns 200,234 shares of the company's stock worth $669,000 after purchasing an additional 156,234 shares during the last quarter. 683 Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Rapid Micro Biosystems in the 4th quarter valued at about $350,000. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rapid Micro Biosystems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $338,000. Informed Momentum Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rapid Micro Biosystems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $224,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Rapid Micro Biosystems by 176.1% during the fourth quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 105,301 shares of the company's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 67,161 shares during the last quarter. 52.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Rapid Micro Biosystems

Rapid Micro Biosystems NASDAQ: RPID develops and commercializes automated microbial detection and contamination control solutions for the life sciences industry. Its flagship offering, the Growth Direct® System, leverages digital imaging and proprietary growth indicator plates to identify and count microorganisms more rapidly than traditional culture-based methods. The company's technology platform is designed to streamline quality control workflows in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and vaccine manufacturing settings, helping clients reduce release times and improve operational efficiency.

In addition to the Growth Direct® System, Rapid Micro Biosystems offers an integrated suite of software and consumables that support automated data capture, analysis and reporting.

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