Short Interest in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International, plc (NASDAQ:KNSA) Grows By 29.7%

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 the month of 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 volume of 732,300 shares, the short-interest 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 volume of 732,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International Stock Performance

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International stock opened at $35.77 on Wednesday. Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International has a fifty-two week low of $17.82 and a fifty-two week high of $37.34. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $32.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.35. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 894.47 and a beta of 0.20.

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International (NASDAQ:KNSA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 1.05% and a net margin of 0.90%.The company 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, analysts predict that Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International will post -0.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

In related news, insider John F. Paolini sold 29,325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.55, for a total value of $954,528.75. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,868,467.65. This represents a 33.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Eben Tessari sold 138,614 shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.20, for a total transaction of $4,601,984.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 49,915 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,657,178. This represents a 73.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 544,971 shares of company stock valued at $18,227,065 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 53.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 140.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 911 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 532 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International by 84.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,238 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE acquired a new position in shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International during the second quarter worth $43,000. 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.

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