Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (NASDAQ:KNSA) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International has experienced a significant increase in short interest, rising by 29.7% to 2,710,000 shares by the end of August.
• Multiple brokerages have raised their price targets for Kiniksa, with Jefferies Financial Group setting a target of $54.00 and Wells Fargo raising theirs to $42.00.
• Insiders sold a total of 544,971 shares of Kiniksa stock valued at approximately $18.2 million over the last 90 days, suggesting a major realignment of their holdings.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,710,000 shares, a growth of 29.7% from the August 15th total of 2,090,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 732,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days. Currently, 7.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Currently, 7.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 732,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KNSA. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $30.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.17.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International Stock Performance

Shares of KNSA stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $35.42. 489,203 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 386,927. The company's 50 day moving average price is $32.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.61. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International has a 12 month low of $17.82 and a 12 month high of $37.34. The company has a market cap of $2.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 885.72 and a beta of 0.20.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.05. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International had a net margin of 0.90% and a return on equity of 1.05%. The business had revenue of $156.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $145.21 million. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International will post -0.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

In related news, Director Thomas Malley sold 78,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.09, for a total transaction of $2,588,729.97. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $415,147.14. This represents a 86.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ross Moat sold 3,523 shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.31, for a total value of $124,397.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $332,443.65. This represents a 27.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 561,371 shares of company stock worth $18,825,009 over the last quarter. 53.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KNSA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International during the 1st quarter worth about $301,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 84.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 177.1% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 394,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,762,000 after purchasing an additional 252,125 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International in the first quarter valued at $1,184,000. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 795,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,737,000 after acquiring an additional 54,361 shares in the last quarter. 53.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International Company Profile

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering, acquiring, developing, and commercializing therapeutic medicines for patients suffering from debilitating diseases with significant unmet medical needs worldwide. Its product candidates include ARCALYST, an interleukin-1alpha and interleukin-1beta, for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis, which is an inflammatory cardiovascular disease; Mavrilimumab, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor that completed Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of giant cell arteritis; Vixarelimab, a monoclonal antibody, that is in Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of prurigo nodularis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition; and KPL-404, a monoclonal antibody inhibitor of the CD40- CD154 interaction, a T-cell co-stimulatory signal critical for B-cell maturation, immunoglobulin class switching, and type 1 immune response.