Cellectis S.A. (NASDAQ:CLLS) Short Interest Up 59.7% in August

Key Points

• Short interest in Cellectis S.A. rose by 59.7% in August, reaching a total of 285,600 shares compared to July's 178,800 shares.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 63.90% of Cellectis, with notable increases in holdings from both Wells Fargo and UBS.
• Cellectis reported a quarterly earnings miss, posting an EPS of ($0.24), falling short of analysts' expectations of ($0.15).

Cellectis S.A. (NASDAQ:CLLS - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 285,600 shares, a growth of 59.7% from the July 31st total of 178,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 152,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 152,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded Cellectis from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Cellectis currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $4.00.

Cellectis Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:CLLS traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $2.98. 206,150 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 67,252. The business's 50-day moving average price is $2.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $165.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.63 and a beta of 3.03. Cellectis has a 12 month low of $1.10 and a 12 month high of $3.35.

Cellectis (NASDAQ:CLLS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $18.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 million. Cellectis had a negative return on equity of 68.05% and a negative net margin of 100.69%. Analysts predict that Cellectis will post -0.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cellectis

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLLS. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Cellectis by 228.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,722,664 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,856,000 after buying an additional 3,284,409 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new position in Cellectis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $962,000. Long Focus Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Cellectis by 2.2% in the first quarter. Long Focus Capital Management LLC now owns 4,717,293 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,849,000 after buying an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Cellectis by 132.9% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 46,377 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 26,461 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cellectis during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. 63.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cellectis

Cellectis SA, a clinical stage biotechnological company, develops immuno-oncology products based on gene-edited T-cells that express chimeric antigen receptors to target and eradicate cancer cells. The company is developing UCART19, an allogeneic T-cell product candidate for the treatment of CD19-expressing hematologic malignancies, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia; ALLO-501 and ALLO-501A to treat relapsed or refractory for non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); and ALLO-715 for the treatment of multiple myeloma.