Savara (NASDAQ:SVRA) Upgraded by HC Wainwright to "Buy" Rating

Key Points

• Savara was upgraded from a "neutral" to a "buy" rating by HC Wainwright, with a new price target of $5.00, representing a potential upside of 66.11% from its previous close.
• Several analysts have varied opinions on Savara's stock, with Wells Fargo reducing their target to $7.00, while Guggenheim maintains a buy rating with a $8.00 target.
• Insider trading activity showed Director Richard J. Hawkins purchased 48,225 shares, increasing his ownership by 71.72%, suggesting confidence in the company's prospects.

Savara (NASDAQ:SVRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at HC Wainwright from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $5.00 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $2.00. HC Wainwright's price target indicates a potential upside of 63.67% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Savara from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $8.00 target price (down from $9.00) on shares of Savara in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Savara from $3.00 to $2.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Savara currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $6.17.

Savara Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:SVRA traded up $0.0050 on Friday, reaching $3.0550. 477,781 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,221,357. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $2.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2.66. Savara has a 52 week low of $1.89 and a 52 week high of $4.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $528.03 million, a P/E ratio of -6.12 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 11.08, a quick ratio of 11.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Savara (NASDAQ:SVRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 13th. The company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.12) by ($0.02). As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Savara will post -0.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Savara news, Director Richard J. Hawkins acquired 48,225 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2.04 per share, for a total transaction of $98,379.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 115,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,550.64. This trade represents a 71.72% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Savara

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Savara by 52.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 13,473 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,626 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Savara during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Nantahala Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Savara by 3.1% during the second quarter. Nantahala Capital Management LLC now owns 8,325,375 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,982,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares in the last quarter. VR Adviser LLC boosted its stake in shares of Savara by 172.7% during the second quarter. VR Adviser LLC now owns 8,884,263 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,256,000 after purchasing an additional 5,626,624 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Savara by 14.2% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 51,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $118,000 after purchasing an additional 6,449 shares in the last quarter. 87.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Savara

Savara Inc, formerly Mast Therapeutics, Inc, is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of patients with rare respiratory diseases. Its pipeline includes AeroVanc, Molgradex and AIR001. AeroVanc is an inhaled formulation of vancomycin, which the Company is developing for the treatment of persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients.